Ghost Stories
by ViiA01
Summary: Sakura didn't believe in gods and monsters and demons. But when she is pushed down a well to unlock an ancient seal, Sakura has no choice but to play a centuries old game where the players aren't human. But these aren't the demons of myth, not twisted monsters, not minor gods. They're older, darker, than that. And they aren't the only ones with an agenda. MultiSaku.
1. Day 1: Fan the Flames

I KNOW, I know. I said I was writing the ShiSaku and I got you guys to vote and everything! I _am_ writing it, I'm just having some issues working out the plot points and how they all merge together. I spent like four hours writing and rewriting Chapter 1 before I was even kind of happy with it and even then, I'm still trying to work out what each chapter entails (which is what I like to do before I post something).

I have finished one chapter - chapter 11 but its just straight up porn and contributes nothing plot wise.

I got really frustrated because usually once I have one chapter done, it's all smooth sailing and I can bang out several chapters in one sitting. Not this time. It's in my head, I just gotta get it _out._ But it will happen, I just need to wait for a little bit before I think of the AHA bit and then it'll all come to me.

So, because I got so grumpy, I listened to some garbage meme songs on YT and then for some reason this... came out. I dunno how this relates to Payload Circulation (just... OverWatch memes), but here we are.

It's an indulgent hot mess of awful fanfiction tropes.

Enjoy.

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 1: Fan the Flames

"It'll be fun!"

"Last time you said that, we nearly got arrested!" Sakura hissed, snatching her pen back from Ino as one of the other students in the quiet level of the library gave them a dirty look. The last time Ino had convinced Sakura it would be _fun_ , they'd ended up jumping fences to get away from the police.

Ino rolled her eyes and leaned over the table, arms folded on the surface. " _Nearly_ being the operative word there, Sakura. We didn't get arrested and you can't tell me you didn't have fun." She said, voice hushed.

Sakura had had fun at the frat party before it got out of control and the police were called, but she didn't really feel like jeopardising her scholarship because Ino and Naruto wanted to go ghost hunting again. "That's not the point, Ino. I can't afford to be wasting time running around after ghost stories!" She whispered.

"You can spare one night, surely?" Ino wheedled, tilting her head from side to side in some sort of attempt to look cute. On any other person, it might have worked but Sakura had seen Ino hurling up her guts into a bush and after that, nothing would work on Sakura. "You're always studying, one night's not going to kill you!"

"Shh!" Someone hissed, and Sakura ducked her head in embarrassment.

Ino flipped them off lazily. "Please?"

"No, Ino. I have a shift tomorrow and I really want to get this extra reading done." Sakura said firmly. "Ask Shikamaru." She said, looking back at her book and hoping Ino would get the hint. The library was quiet today, most people studying at home and Sakura preferred it that way. There were less distractions.

At least until Ino had found her.

Ino flopped onto the table dramatically, hand landing right on top of Sakura's notebook and making the pink haired girl mess up her latest diagram. Sakura huffed, shoving Ino's sprawled limbs away and erased the line grumpily. As much as she loved Ino, the other girl was ridiculously dramatic sometimes.

"Sakura!" Ino whined. "You never do anything fun anymore!"

"First warning ladies." The librarian called from where she was shelving books. "Keep it down or go somewhere else."

Sakura smacked Ino in the arm with a scowl. "Stop it!"

Ino pouted at her, blond hair scattered over the table. "But you won't come! And you're gonna leave me alone with Naruto and Sayaka and I am _not_ being a third wheel while Naruto tries to flirt." She wheedled. "Sakura!"

"Ladies!"

Sakura felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she glared at Ino. "Will you shut up? People are trying to study!" She hissed. "Ino, I can't go. I need to study, _and_ I have work tomorrow."

Ino propped her head up on her fist, still pouting. But she didn't say anything, and Sakura sighed in relief and went back to studying her textbook on human anatomy. It wasn't anything she didn't already know but she knew that she had to have it down pat before the final came around if she wanted to get top marks again.

She was labelling a diagram of the heart when she saw Ino's hand creeping across the table to her pencil case. Sakura narrowed her eyes and jabbed Ino in the hand when the blonde tried to steal a pen.

"Ow!" Ino hissed, rubbing her injured hand with a scowl.

"Just leave it alone." Sakura said back grumpily. She liked Ino, really she did, but the blonde didn't enjoy studying quite as much as Sakura did and it was a challenge to get anything academic done with Ino around. "Please?"

Ino grinned. "I'll leave you alone if you come tonight." She bargained. "I'll let you study all afternoon in peace and I won't even make you come to tennis with me." The blonde girl flicked her hair out of her face, eyes mischievous.

"Why do you want me to come so much?" Sakura asked. Normally when Sakura said no to one of Ino or Naruto's crazy schemes, she pouted for a little bit and then backed off. But this time, Ino was strangely insistent.

Ino shrugged. "I just think you would enjoy it, is all." She said.

"If I come, will you let me study for finals in peace for the rest of semester?" Sakura asked, hardly able to believe she was agreeing to this. Ino meant well, but in her attempts to get Sakura out of the house she often interrupted time Sakura needed for studying or catching up on work for her internship at the hospital.

Ino nodded quickly, smile widening. "Pinky promise." She said, holding out her hand, pinky extended.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the childishness but hooked her own pinky with Ino's in agreement. As she did, she saw a strange white mark on Ino's wrist, almost like a chalky white character. She frowned and then scoffed. "When did you get Henna?" She asked, pulling her hand away to grab Ino's wrist and peer more closely at the intricate design.

Ino peered at the little temporary tattoo. "Oh, I got it yesterday with Sayaka. Isn't it cool? I was going to get the normal colour but Sayaka convinced me the white would look cooler. It does, doesn't it?" She gushed, turning her wrist this way and that to show off the slight sheen to the white ink.

Sakura brushed a finger over it and blinked at how cold Ino's skin was. She pulled her finger away. "It's pretty cool." She said. "Maybe next time we can both get them." She said, tone a little apologetic for snapping at Ino earlier.

Ino beamed at her. "It's a date!"

Sakura shook her head. "Can I study now?"

Rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, Ino pushed herself up from the table, slinging her stylish beige bag over her shoulder as she did so. "Eleven thirty forehead." She said sternly, but the words were ruined by her smile.

Sakura waved her best friend away. "Alright, alright, go away." She giggled.

Ino flounced away with one last air kiss and a flip of her shiny blonde hair. Sakura shook her head at Ino's dramatics and went back to labelling her diagram of a heart.

* * *

Eleven thirty exactly found Sakura standing outside her apartment complex, clutching her phone and a banana. She hadn't bothered to change after getting home from the gym, assuming her black workout leggings and fluorescent orange jumper to be appropriate for breaking into a long abandoned compound.

She waited on the steps, munching on her banana and idly scrolling through Instagram as she waited for Ino to show up. She waited for a good five minutes before she heard the familiar growl of Naruto's obnoxiously orange car and stood up just as it careened into the driveway. Naruto had obviously been in charge of the music choices and ridiculous bass was pounding through the chassis.

Ino was immediately hanging out the window, waving to Sakura. "Hurry!" She shouted. "We're gonna be late!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, hurrying over to the car. "Late for what, ghosts?" She teased as she yanked open the backdoor. She slid into the leather seat, slamming the door behind her. She saw that the one of the girls in Naruto's class, Sayaka was in the back with her and wondered what tall tale Naruto had spun to get such a pretty girl to come on such a ridiculous trip.

"Yes!" Naruto cried, bouncing in his seat excitedly. "Sato said we had to get there before two am or else they'll already be gone!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Naruto."

"That's right." Naruto said, completely oblivious to her sarcasm.

Instead of egging Naruto on, Sakura smiled brightly at Sayaka and the other girl smiled back. She and Sayaka had only met a few times, but she was nice, if a bit quiet and very pretty, with long dark hair and striking brown eyes.

"Come from the gym?" Sayaka asked as Naruto put the car into reverse. She was fiddling with her phone and in the dark car, Sakura could see the pretty white henna on the inside of her wrist too. "You're so dedicated… I always sign up and then never go."

"Once you get into a routine it gets a bit easier." Sakura said with a shrug. "Not that you need the gym."

"Oh shut up." Sayaka said good naturedly, rolling her eyes. "Neither do you."

In the front, Ino and Naruto were babbling excitedly about all the stories about the hauntings in the Uchiha compound. Their conversation quickly turned to the rumours about the demons locked away under the massive mansion in the very back of the compound, rumours Sakura thought utterly ridiculous.

Demons _did not_ exist.

"So," Sakura said, looking over at Sayaka. "What did Naruto tell you to get you to come along to this?" She asked curiously. Sayaka was very pretty and frankly, the quiet, studious girl didn't strike Sakura as the type to be interested in ghost stories.

Sayaka shrugged, phone lighting up as she got a message. It went dark quickly as she locked it again. "I think it sounds kind of fun, to be honest. I mean, we grew up hearing all the stories about the great Uchiha Clan, right? And then one day, they're just gone. It's pretty mysterious." She snorted as Ino shrieked excitedly about ectoplasm from the front seat. "I don't believe in all… _that_ , but it'd still be cool to see how they lived, y'know?"

Sakura giggled. "I suppose you're not wrong."

"And I mean, I am a bit curious about the mansion. They said the Uchiha had red eyes… Like, that's not something people just make up, right?" Sayaka continued, lips curling into a smile. She looked out the window, up at the mountain looming above them. The compound was still a ways off, set nearly half an hour by highway out of the city and another fifteen minutes up the mountain.

"I dunno, people are pretty weird." Sakura said, gesturing to where Naruto and Ino were still gushing about ghost readings and ectoplasm. "Case in point."

"I heard that, forehead!" Ino snapped, whipping around to give Sakura her best death glare. "I am not weird, I'm unique and fabulous and don't you forget it. The only weird one here is Naruto."

"Oi, oi, oi! I'm not weird!" Naruto protested loudly as he turned off the highway and onto the winding mountain road that would take them up the side of the mountain to the old abandoned Uchiha compound. It was nestled in the high valley between two of the forested mountains that sat behind Konoha. "My mum says I'm special." He boasted proudly.

"Oh well done." Ino said sarcastically.

"How about I stop and boot you out of this car, Ino, how about that, huh?" Naruto shot back.

Sakura sighed fondly when her best friends started bickering about which one of them was cooler. Ino was insistent that Naruto's terrible fashion style disqualified him, while Naruto was sure that it made him cooler.

Next to her, Sayaka was watching the exchange with raised eyebrows.

"Don't worry about it." Sakura reassured her. "They'll get over it in a few minutes and it'll be like it never happened." As if on cue, they rounded one of the hairpin corners cut into the mountain side and they caught their first glimpse of the sprawling complex that had once belonged to the mighty Uchiha clan. Naruto and Ino stopped arguing to coo excitedly, Ino leaning forward over the dashboard.

The crumbling outer walls glowed in the moonlight for a moment before it disappeared behind the trees again. Sakura leaned back in her chair as Naruto engaged Sayaka in a fairly one sided conversation, the blond boy babbling excitedly about all the ghost sightings there had been.

Sakura played with her phone, playing the stupid dress up game she was obsessed with. Ino teased her about it, but it was surprisingly addictive, crafting and collecting new clothes and outfits. And Sakura would never admit it, but she sometimes used it to make up outfits she wanted to try out in real life.

She was tapping her way through one of the crafting missions when Naruto announced that they had arrived.

Sakura looked up just Naruto pulled up to the front gate of the complex. The gate had long since been removed by the council, for fear that trespassers, like them, would knock it down and hurt themselves. Instead, the council had strung several chains across the entrance, not that it would deter anyone, with little red warning signs to keep out.

Sakura wondered if Naruto's father, the _mayor_ , knew about his son's illegal activities. She wagered not.

"Wow, its so much bigger in person." Sayaka said, leaning forward between the front seats as Naruto turned off the engine. The night seemed so much darker now that the purr of his car's engine was gone.

Ino squealed and she and Naruto looked at each other briefly before they both scrambled to get out of the car. Ino's purse got caught on the seatbelt and she tossed it aside with a huff. Sakura followed her friends more slowly, zipping up her jacket as she got out of the car. The outside air was warm enough, but she kept it on nonetheless.

Sakura shook out her sleeves, still holding her phone.

Ino bounced back to Sakura excitedly, looping her arm around Sakura's. "Isn't it cool, Sakura?" She gushed, dragging Sakura after Naruto, who had forged ahead without waiting for them. They all ducked under the chains blocking off the entrance and walked across the courtyard.

The entrance had a few shopfronts, now dilapidated and abandoned. There were even a few old flags still strung up across the shop windows and doorframes. A lonely stool lay on its side in front of an old ramen bar, and Sakura wondered how colourful it had been when there were people living her. The stones under their feet were a mixture of cobbled grey and packed dirt. The main path led a straight path through the compound, towards the mansion sitting right at the back and smaller, winding paths split off every now and again.

As they walked past, Sakura peeked down some of the winding side roads. She saw overgrown gardens, collapsed roofs and snapped shutters. It seemed that these were the living quarters of the people who used to live in the miniature city.

Naruto had run ahead, having no interest in the old shops and houses, more interested in the mansion right at the back. The only thing they paused to look at in their journey up the quiet, abandoned streets was an old anvil but even that wasn't enough to keep Ino or Naruto interested for very long.

Sakura didn't mind the walk so much, even if Ino was gasping and cooing at every puff of wind. It was surprisingly temperate up in the mountains, the air less humid than down in Konoha. She looked at the shops and houses as they passed, imagining them full of life and it seemed so wrong to Sakura to see it abandoned and broken down.

She could tell the complex had been well built, it had lasted over a thousand years after all, but the thought of what had happened here made it less pretty and sadder. Most of the massacre had faded with time, but occasionally, Sakura saw deep swipes in the thin walls of the buildings, or a dark red spot on a pale wall.

"Hurry up! You two are too slow!" Naruto yelled from where he was waving from the great courtyard that sat in front of the entrance to the mansion. The mansion itself was ornate, with what were once lush gardens and ponds sitting in front of the wooden balcony that ran around the perimeter. Sakura was reminded of the botanical gardens, and the Senju temple there. Against the backdrop of the mountain range behind it, Sakura imagined the Uchiha Mansion would have been stunning in its heyday.

Naruto and Sayaka were waiting for them on the balcony, which was dangerously creaky and rotted under their feet. Sakura stepped slightly, worried she might fall straight through.

"Come on, come on!" Naruto said, bouncing up and down excitedly. He whipped out a little radio transmitter that he always brought on these ridiculous ghost hunting tours, fiddling with the knobs and dials expertly.

Ino unwound her arm from Sakura's, looking up at the dark entrance. She shivered and turned to Sakura with a grin. "Spooky."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Hardly. It's just a house."

"A haunted house!" Ino protested loudly. "We'll show you! Sato let us listen to this recording, it was the coolest thing you've ever heard, Sakura. It was like this low, angry growling, like a dog or something."

"A demon dog!" Naruto blurted out, holding up his transmitter triumphantly. It was buzzing with white noise and Sakura blinked, less than impressed. Naruto didn't seem to mind, strutting inside without so much as a glance backwards. "Lets find us some ghosts!"

For a few minutes, nothing happened, they just wandered through the first level of the house. Sakura saw some slashed furniture and more suspicious red spots on the rotted upholstery and cushions. She really hoped that whoever had left those spots had died quickly.

Naruto and Ino were still babbling excitedly and then the radio gave a high pitched whistle as they turned towards the stairs. Both of the blondes screamed in excitement and Sakura rolled her eyes. Sayaka had fallen back, arms folded, and she caught Sakura's eye, shaking her head.

"Upstairs!" Ino gasped.

"It must be the demon dog-"

As if on cue, there was a thunderous growl from deeper in the mansion. Sakura jumped, not expecting it at all and Ino and Naruto both startled, clinging to each other as they all stilled. There was another growl and then a loud groan and Sakura realised what they were hearing was the house settling at the new weight.

She snorted and Ino whipped around, eyes wide.

Sakura pointed at the ground. "When was the last time someone walked in here?" She asked. "The house is just settling."

"Nuh uh!" Naruto said, shaking his little doodad. "It was the demon dog!"

"Demon dog…" Sayaka repeated incredulously.

"Yeah!" Naruto said impatiently. "We gotta go find it!"

"Why would we do that? If it's a demon dog, then shouldn't we leave it alone?" Sayaka said, leaning one hip and raising a sceptical eyebrow. "Why can't we just explore down here? I mean, there are so many old artefacts down here… Swords, tapestries-"

"Who cares about all that stuff?" Naruto said dismissively. "Come on guys! Demon dog!" He cajoled.

Sayaka nudged Sakura, jerking her head with a smile. "Well you guys can go and find your demon dog. Sakura and I are gonna look around down here."

Sakura was unable to help a smile. It felt nice, having someone other than Ino and Naruto include here in this. Besides, looking at all the old artefacts and relics seemed much more interesting than following Naruto and Ino around looking for some non-existent demon dog. "Yeah, you guys go ahead. If we hear screams we won't come looking for you." She joked.

Naruto pouted, doodad lowering. "Fine!" He said, turning away childishly.

Ino beamed at Sakura, and waved goodbye as Naruto dragged her up the stairs.

"Lets go find something actually cool." Sayaka said, taking Sakura's hand. She laced their fingers together and pulled Sakura towards one of the side halls. They walked for a little bit and then Sayaka pushed open one of the sliding doors. It squeaked and groaned but the two of them managed to get it open finally.

The room they walked into seemed to be sitting room of some sort, with a low, sunken floor and a low table in the middle. The wood of the table had aged well, still shiny under all the dust. Scattered about the room were cushions, though many of them were slashed open.

"Boring." Sayaka decided, dragging Sakura back out of the room.

The next rooms they checked held more of the same. A writing room, a tea room, a sun room. All of them in varying states of disrepair, many of them wish deep cuts and slashes of the walls from ancient samurai swords.

Sayaka led them through the dark house easily and then down a short flight of steps. On one side of the branching hallway, Sakura could see what looked like the kitchen and another door leading to the outside. The other way led to a heavy wooden door.

"Lets look in here." Sayaka said decisively. She tugged Sakura along and again, it took the two of them to pushed the heavy door open. Halfway open it stuck and they were forced to shimmy through on their sides.

It was much cooler than any demon dog.

"Wow!" Sakura said, looking around in amazement. It had been an old armoury and there were still ancient weapons mounted on the walls, many covered with dust. Right at the back, there was a rack of shining short swords, each of the hilts wrapped with leather. Over the top of the rack, a mess of leather straps hung.

Sayaka gasped and hurried deeper into the room, brushing a finger over some of the scrolls that were stacked against the wall.

Sakura followed slower, looking at all of the weapons. They looked brand new, as if they hadn't dulled at all, even if they were all covered in dust. On the back wall, there was a giant gourd shaped weapon with a chain looped through a metal ring on the top. The chain ended in a wicked looking curved blade. The strange looking weapon had a comma shaped design on the top of it and Sakura wondered how one used it in battle.

Another set of swords caught her attention and she padded over to them curiously. There were several racked neatly, but it was the one on the top that caught her eye. Sakura trailed a finger along the sheathed sword. It was strangely clean, as if someone had recently dusted it and the sheath, a strange blue black metal with a deep groove in the centre hadn't rusted at all. It looked as if the owner had just put it down.

She picked it up and was surprised at just how much light it was. She was able to hold it in one hand despite it coming up to her hip in length.

"Why aren't these things in a museum?" Sakura wondered out loud. "I bet a lot of people would love to see this stuff."

"Hey, Sakura, come look at this." Sayaka called.

Sakura looked around and saw that Sayaka wasn't in the weapons room anymore. She put down the sword carefully and padded through the room, following the sounds of Sayaka clattering around. The other girl had been right when she'd suggested that looking at the old artefacts in the Uchiha mansion being much more interesting that following Naruto around with his dinky radio.

Sakura found the dark haired girl in the room next door. Sakura blinked in surprise, head on a swivel when she saw that hundreds of white characters inked on the walls, floor and some, oddly enough, were etched into the ceiling. It looked like gibberish to her and the writing appeared to shift and change in the darkness.

Shaking her head at the strangeness, she looked for Sayaka and saw the other girl standing by a shelf, an old box in her hands.

"Weird." Sakura said, pointing at the strange symbols.

Sayaka looked up and rolled her eyes. "Could you imagine how nuts Ino and Naruto would go if they saw this crap?" She said.

"Looks like graffiti." Sakura said, stepping over the threshold and into the room. Sayaka smiled at her brightly, holding out the box for Sakura to look into.

"Shit graffiti." Sayaka said. "It doesn't even say anything."

"Yeah." Sakura said with a laugh. "Also, no one's even going to see it?"

"People are weird." Sayaka said, parroting Sakura's earlier words back to her. Sakura shared another smile with the girl, happiness curling in her chest at the thought that she might have made a new friend.

It was difficult for Sakura to make friends outside of Ino and Naruto. Both of them were so outgoing and loud and sometimes Sakura thought she got lost in their bubbliness. Not to mention she was shy at the worst of times and doing a fantastically difficult degree and barely had time to get to any social clubs.

Sayaka seemed nice though and Sakura thought perhaps the night hadn't been a waste after all.

Sakura took the old jewellery box with careful hands. At one time, it would have been an ornate. But now the velvet was tattered, and moth eaten, and the mirror cracked and blackened with time. It was heavy, and Sakura weighed it in her hand, surprised because it was so small. She ran a finger over the delicate etching along the little clawed legs as Sayaka moved away to search the rest of the room.

Sakura put the jewellery box down on the shelf and poked the soft little raven sitting next to it. It flopped over, little fat limbs falling pathetically. She wondered who it had belonged to. It was worn with age and obvious care, one paw worn far more than the other.

She picked it up carefully, holding it gingerly. It was stitched by hand and Sakura wondered if the owner of it had been a child. She squeezed it gently when she remembered what had happened to the inhabitants of the castle and put it back gently.

It flopped sideways again, and she pushed it back to sitting, rearranging its limbs so it looked more comfortable. She smiled at the adorable picture it made and started to clear the dust around it on the shelf. It didn't seem right to leave its shelf messy.

A loud flap and the sound of cloth dragging across the ground made her look around. Sayaka had dragged a cover off something and she was staring at the black well in the ground. Around it was a raised wall, maybe two or three inches high. The wall had a gap, where the ground simply fell away and there was old, mouldy rope hanging down into the darkness.

"Woah." Sakura breathed. "I didn't know there was a water table here." She said, walking over to Sayaka's side and peering down in the well. The air blowing up from the well was frigid and Sakura shivered a little, taking a step down. The well was pitch black and she didn't want to imagine how far it went.

"Yeah, I thought they got their water from the mountain stream." Sayaka said, leaning almost recklessly far over the well, eyes big in her face. "I wonder if there's still water in it?"

Sakura shrugged. "I mean, it can't have gone dry right?"

Sayaka looked up at Sakura with a devilish grin. "Do you think they ever threw someone down it?" She asked, eyes looking less awed and more crazed.

Sakura blinked at the awful question. "What… No? Why would they-"

"Well I mean, all the stories about the Uchiha said they had otherworldly powers, right? So maybe they sacrificed a few people to get them." Sayaka said, eyes returning to the well. "Wouldn't that be cool?"

The note of excitement in Sayaka's voice made Sakura look twice at the pretty girl. She didn't find the thought of sacrificing people cool at all and she took a tiny step away. Sayaka was busy looking at the well so Sakura pulled out her phone to text Ino or Naruto.

She frowned when the screen of her phone flickered. She shook it a little, unlocking it anyway. It seemed to be working but there was no service, which confused her since less than five minutes ago she had had four bars.

"Hey, look!" Sayaka said excitedly, leaning further over the well and pointing at something. "There's something written here… I can't quite see…" She tilted her head, leaning on the raised wall and stretching out to try and read whatever it was she had seen.

"Sayaka, be careful!" Sakura almost shouted, reaching out to the other girl.

"Can you shine your phone here?" Sayaka asked, ignoring Sakura's warning completely.

Sakura bit her lip but turned on the torch anyway, turning it to shine on the wall of the well. Just as Sayaka had said, there was something written on the wall, in more white chalk. Sakura narrowed her eyes. It was more of that gibberish that was covering the walls and floor.

Now that it had a light shining on it, Sakura could see that the writing was strange. It seemed to flicker in front of Sakura's eyes and she shook her head a few times. Many of the characters were frustrating familiar to Japanese. It felt like she should be able to read it, but every time she thought they looked familiar, the writing twisted again.

"Do you see that?" Sayaka asked, voice hushed. "What does it say? Can you read it?"

Sakura shook her head. There was a cold feeling in her stomach and she felt the hair on her arms rise in response to the frigid air rising out of the well. "I don't know. It's probably just more graffiti." She said. "Sayaka, I think we should find the others." She said, unsure why she was so nervous. She had never been one to find haunted houses or paranormal stories frightening but there was something very unsettling about that well.

"Oh okay." Sayaka said, leaning back and pushing herself back to standing. She dusted her hands off on her jeans. "Can you take a photo of it though? I want to show Naruto when we get back and I left my phone in the car." She asked, smiling at Sakura prettily.

Sakura smiled back wanly and stepped up next to the dark haired girl. She flicked open the camera app, zooming in on the strange white writing on the well wall. Sayaka stepped back so she wasn't blocking the shot and Sakura felt her brush against her side.

Sakura shrieked as Sayaka shoved her hard in the back. She careened forward, arms flailing as she fell towards the dark well in front of her. In her desperation to catch herself on the raised wall bordering the well, Sakura dropped her phone. It hit the ground with a loud crack, torch light flickering.

She gasped, eyes wide as she stared down into the dark pit she had nearly fallen into. Her heart beat loudly in her ears, fingers tingling.

And then Sayaka kicked her in the back. Sakura yelped and fell to her knees, gripping the raised wall so tightly she thought her knuckles might break. Sayaka kicked her again and Sakura set her jaw and shoved backwards.

She was just starting to push herself up when Sayaka tackled her from behind. Sakura grunted, chest colliding with the raised edge of the well. It was enough to make the breath whoosh from her lungs and she gasped, winded.

Sayaka fisted a hand in Sakura's hair, yanking her head down and forward towards the well, so hard that Sakura's eyes well with tears and her neck cracked. Sakura shrieked, clawing at the other girl blindly, terrified and confused.

"Get off me!" Sakura shrieked, hoping the others would hear the commotion and come.

"Shut up!" Sayaka hissed.

Sakura struggled, hands clapping around the other girl's wrist. They grappled back and forth for a few seconds, the other girl trying to shove her head first into the well and Sakura doing her best to keep from falling.

"Ino!" She screamed, desperate, lashing out and managing to catch the soft skin of Sayaka's inner arm. She scratched the other girl as hard as she could and heard Sayaka yelp with pain. " _Naruto_!"

Sakura took the opportunity to push backwards with all her strength. They tumbled backwards, away from the well and Sakura rolled away immediately. She scrambled upright but Sayaka was already on her feet and she slapped Sakura hard. The loud sound rung through the empty basement. Sakura gasped, stunned and then Sayaka shoved her in the chest. Sakura stumbled, and she felt nothing beneath her foot as she stepped back.

The last thing she saw before she fell was Sayaka's triumphant grin and the sickly white glow of the writing on the wall.

* * *

Naruto looked up at the faint scream. It had sounded like his name. Next to him, Ino had similarly frozen, eyes wide.

"What was that?" Ino asked, spinning in a circle. "You heard that right? The scream?"

Naruto nodded. The scream hadn't sounded like any of the screams he had heard in any of the other haunted houses he and Ino had visited to see if they could find ghosts. The screams he had heard in those houses had always howled out of his frequency radio.

His radio was silent and wasn't even registering any activity. This scream had come from below them, where Sayaka and Sakura were exploring the basement.

"We should go check on them." Naruto said, tucking the radio back into his pocket. He knew Sakura hadn't wanted to come and he also knew that the Uchiha compound was old and many of the floorboards had rotted through. He couldn't bear the thought of kind, sweet Sakura getting hurt because of him.

Ino nodded and they both retraced their steps through the mansion. It took them a few minutes to pick their way around the caved in floorboards and smashed walls but eventually they made it outside.

When they got outside, Sayaka was waiting in the courtyard, rubbing her arm and in tears.

"Sayaka?" Naruto cried, running forward to his crush.

She rubbed her face furiously, eyes red and chest heaving. "Sakura, we were looking at the well downstairs and then out of nowhere she went insane! She hit me and pushed me over, screaming about how something was in the room with us and then she ran out!" She blubbered, squeezing her arm tightly.

Naruto took her by the arms gently. " _What_? What happened?"

" _I don't know_!" Sayaka wailed. "I was just showing her this jewellery box and she just lost it on me!"

"Where did she go?" Ino asked, voice worried and afraid. "Did you see, Sayaka? We have to find her… She can't walk home at this hour! She could get attacked or fall down the mountain!" As she spoke, her voice got higher and higher, becoming more and more panicked.

Naruto let go of Sayaka, stomach roiling with worry. The story didn't sound like calm, rational Sakura at all. Losing it over a jewellery box? "We've got to look for her. Sayaka, did you see which way she went?"

Sayaka pointed with a shaking hand towards the entrance. "I saw her run through the gates but after that, I don't know." She sobbed, hands over her face and shoulders heaving. "I don't know, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay." Naruto said, as soothingly as he could, but he felt anything but calm right now. Ino was right, Sakura could fall down the steep incline of the mountain, or if she got stuck in one of the old houses, fall through rotted floorboards. "We'll find her, Sayaka. Why don't you wait for us in the car?"

Ino barely waited for Naruto tuck Sayaka into the car before she was dragging him off towards the entrance of mansion courtyard. She was biting her lip, blue eyes big and worried as they ran through the dark, cobbled streets of the compound, calling out for Sakura.

"Sakura!" Ino yelled, nearly tripping over an abandoned cart. "Sakura! Come back!"

Naruto shoved open a door to one of the old houses. "Sakura?" The house was dark and empty, and nothing moved in the single roomed, single storied house. "Sakura! Please come out, we're going home now!"

"Sakura!" Ino screamed, voice cracking. "Sakura!"

But there was no answer.

And Naruto had a terrible feeling there wouldn't be.

* * *

Sayaka's role changed rather drastically from the first draft. In the original version, Sakura falling was more of a stroke of bad luck (sinkhole) and Sayaka falls with her. Sayaka and Sakura both end up in a big cave and while Sakura is knocked out, Sayaka panics and runs off. Sakura going on her journey (and subsequently meeting all the demons) was just because she was looking for Sayaka. I changed it because there was no villain. I think it works better now.

Look there's not much intrigue or mystery in the story. its basically just an excuse for me to write UchihaSaku rubbish.

Game Sakura is playing - Love Nikki Dress Up Queen, I am obsessed with this stupid fucking game, holy shit.

Rack of short swords - Shisui (Tanto)

Raven toy (Sakura misidentifies it, it's actually a crow) - Itachi

Sword - Sasuke

Gunbai - Madara

Obviously, from the tags, you know there are more Uchiha but I couldn't think of any little references to them.

I hope you all enjoyed and if you can, let me know what you think!


	2. Day 2: Reflection

I made muffins yesterday and they were awful. I also scraped up my hand grating lemon zest. So that was fun. Also uni already sucks and its week two. I am somehow already behind.

Now, I just want to say, it is deliberately vague. Sakura is alive, though. She's not in any danger of dying, our dear imprisoned drama llama bois don't want that at all. And she's also just a normal chick. She has no powers or anything. There are some clues in the chapter as to what's going on and Sakura's role in letting the Uchiha go free.

Sayaka is very important to this. But probably not in the way you think.

* * *

Day 2: Reflection

Sakura screamed, short and terrified as she fell, thrashing and grabbing desperately at the sides of the well in the hope that she would be able to catch herself on something.

There was a sharp shock of pain as the palm of her right hand caught on something sticking out of the wall.

The sound of icy wind whistling past her ears.

Her heartbeat, thumping in her chest, blood rushing through her ears.

Sakura closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable impact. She knew what it would do her. Shatter her spine, cripple her, break her bones, rupture her organs.

But it never came.

Sakura just kept falling.

Her eyes opened, and she looked up. The top of the well and Sayaka's grinning face had disappeared. Now Sakura couldn't see anything at all. The air was colder now, almost freezing and her fingers felt numb, her thin leggings and jacket doing nothing to keep her warm.

She twisted as she plummeted and gasped in horror when she saw the bottom of the well approaching. It was speeding towards her, so fast that Sakura couldn't do anything but watch as she approached her death.

Then she hit the bottom

And it was _soft_.

Instead of the hard slap of stagnant water she was expecting, the ground Sakura landed on was almost… cushiony. It seemed to mould to her weight, cushioning her fall.

The breath still slammed out of Sakura's lungs and her back arched. She gasped for air, eyes flying wide, and she automatically sat up, trying to get away from the sharp pain radiating down her spine. And then she flopped backwards almost immediately when her lack of oxygen made her head spin.

She writhed for a moment, trying to get her bearings.

Something icy cold and sticky touched her arm and she shrieked, jerking away from it immediately. But there was more sticky, oozing blackness touching her. It was oozing around her legs, sucking them down, her arms, her back, her stomach.

Mud.

Sakura thrashed wildly, yanking one arm free. It came out of the black mud with a sickening slurp and she sobbed in terror. The oozing, icy blackness was everywhere, drawing her in, dragging her down.

Her heart thundered in her ears and her chest felt like it was about to burst.

Sakura screamed, thrashing and then her flailing hand slapped against the wall. She grabbed at it desperately as she sunk further into the sticky, freezing mud. She dug her fingers into the cracks of the wall, trying to use it for leverage. But there was nothing for her to hold on to and her fingers just scrabbled uselessly at the wall. She felt terror bubbling up her throat as her weight dragged her further and further down. She grabbed at the wall and then her hand hit something that felt like a bar.

Sakura grabbed at it desperately, holding on so tightly she thought her knuckles might snap under the strain. The sucking feeling on her lower body was getting worse and she sobbed, looking back up towards where she knew the top of the well was.

"Ino!" She screamed. "Naruto, help me!"

But her voice just echoed around the cold, dark well. And there was no answer.

She yanked on her other arm, still stuck in the mud and it came free agonizingly slowly. She could feel strands of that freezing mud clinging to her jacket, making it heavy and cold against her skin.

The mud closed around her ribs and she strained away from it, gasping in fear.

"Ino!" She screamed. "Ino, _please_!"

The mud kept pulling her in and her chest was the next to sink below the freezing mudline. She tried to use the bar to pull herself up, out of the muck but it was no use. It was too heavy, and her limbs were practically immobilised by the weight of it pressing down on them.

It rose around her neck and Sakura burst into tears, stilling clinging to the bar. She strained her head away from it desperately as it crept higher and higher.

Then the bar snapped under her hand.

And Sakura slipped.

There was a moment of crushing pressure and then…

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

No cold, oozing mud, no icy air that made her lungs, no stinking odour of stagnant water and centuries old mould.

In fact, the air was warm now, pleasant even. Instead of the smell of mould and wet mud, Sakura could smell dust and stale air. She was lying on something hard and there was a crackling noise that reminded Sakura of her childhood camping trips with Naruto and sitting around the campfire Kushina had built.

She opened her eyes slowly, half expecting to find herself hallucinating under a suffocating layer of mud and water. Instead she was lying on her side on worn wooden floorboards. There was a layer of thick grey dust coating them, and just opposite her, there was a full length mirror leaned up against the wall. It was cracked, a long branching split along the full length of it.

Sakura tilted her head back and saw that there was a merry little fire burning in a little stove. It bathed the room in a warm glow and making Sakura's cold skin tingle with warmth.

Sakura didn't understand.

She lay there, staring at the fire, wondering if this was the afterlife. The flickering orange flames were almost mesmerising as they danced merrily, the wood crackling and snapping as it burned. It was cosy, quiet, relaxing.

But… What was going on?

Sakura pushed herself up slowly, pulling her eyes away from the fire. As she put her right hand down, there was a sharp twinge of pain and Sakura yanked it back. She turned it over and blinked in confusion at the deep cut there, oozing red blood, the edges jagged and torn.

When had she hurt herself?

Falling.

And then a flash of pain as her hand whipped by something.

Sakura squeezed her hand into a fist and her palm throbbed in response, hot and achy. She let it relax with a hiss, pulling her sleeve over the wound. It stung but she knew she had to keep it clean. As she waited for the blood to start to congeal, she looked around.

The room she was in was small, two sliding shoji doors on the wall opposite the fireplace, a desk tucked neatly into a corner. As she sat up, Sakura's back bumped into something and she jumped, jerking away automatically and her head snapping around.

It was a bed, covers rumpled as if the owner had just gotten out, one pillow askew. Sakura relaxed slightly, heart still racing.

She stood up and turned in a slow circle. The room was small, the bed, mirror and fireplace the only objects in the room.

Was this a hallucination brought on by stress? Was she slowly dying, and this was the scene her brain had chosen to comfort herself?

Sakura looked at her hand, poking at the sluggishly bleeding cut. It stung, and she hissed, shaking out her wounded palm. It definitely felt real.

She looked down at the bed behind her, crouching to brush a hand along the mattress. It was firm, the covers cold. The pillow was similarly cold, though squashy instead of firm. Sakura looked around the room again. The heat from the fire, her aching hand, the tang of dusty, stale air all seemed real enough.

But how could it be?

As she tried to figure out what was going on, Sakura's eyes fell on the mirror. It was ornate, gilded in shining gold and inlaid with scarlet rubies. But where it should have been beautiful, it was monstrous. Instead of delicate leaves and flowers carved into the gold edges, there were hideous beasts, snarling and contorted in ways that left their spines and limbs looking snapped and broken.

Sakura got an awful feeling in her stomach at the sight of that mirror. There was a sense of offness about it, from the horrible frame to the missing pieces.

There was something _wrong_ with it.

But what?

The longer she looked, the worse the feeling got.

It was when Sakura shifted, just a little to the left, that she realised what was wrong with the mirror.

There was no reflection.

The mirror sat directly opposite the bed and both she and it should have appeared on the shining silver surface. But neither of them did. Instead, the mirror only showed an empty room and a blank stone wall, roughly carved.

She took a step back, eyes huge.

The back of her knee hit the bed and she stumbled backwards, falling onto it with a thump. It was surprisingly comfortable, with more give than Sakura expected, and it groaned under her weight. But she ignored all of that in favour of staring at the reflection.

Still an empty room and a blank wall.

A horrible thought occurred to Sakura.

Was the reason there was no reflection because she was dead?

Sakura felt a bit sick. She stared at the horrible, broken mirror for a little bit longer and then unable to bear the thought of being dead, looked away. She struggled to keep her composure, tears filling her eyes and her breath coming in quick, short bursts.

She just wanted to go home.

Her eyes fell on the pair of shoji doors and she was on her feet in an instant, half running, half stumbling over to them. She yanked them open, her heart in her throat and hope rising in her chest-

-and gasped in horror at the deep, impenetrable darkness beyond. It seemed to ooze forward, pressing against the edges of the doorframe. It seemed to coil and roll, and the air, warmed by the fire started to cool.

Sakura yelped and danced backwards as the black fog crept forward. It was freezing, curling and probing over the ground as if it was looking for something. She could feel the cold, frigid and numbing creeping into the room and the merry crackling of the fire seemed to get quieter.

"You cannot go that way."

Sakura screamed, leaping nearly a foot into the air at the quiet words, seemingly coming from behind her. She spun in a circle, away from the horrible darkness beyond the doors. But the room was quiet and empty, just as it had been before. She cringed, curling in on herself.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. This was an awful, awful place and she wanted to leave. She didn't want to be here, seeing these things, hearing these things. She just wanted to go home, laugh about all of this with Ino and Naruto.

"Who's there?" She asked. She tried for confidence, for strength, but it came out quiet and afraid. "Why are you doing this to me!?"

"I am not doing anything to you." The voice said.

It was male, sad and tired. But there was a hint of laughter in the words, as if before, he might have spoken words filled with happiness and joy.

"Close the doors." He said. "Or it will come here."

"What will?" Sakura asked, eyes snapping open. Her voice was stronger now and she felt her fear give way to anger and frustration. "What will come here?!"

"You saw it. The darkness outside this room." He said quietly. There was no anger in his words, only quiet resignation. "It will hurt you. Close the doors." He said again.

As he spoke, Sakura searched for anywhere he could be hiding. She looked into the dark corners of the room, tilted her head to look under the bed. But there was nothing and nowhere he could be hiding and there was no one else in the room with her. "Where are you?" She asked, still watching the quiet, empty room warily.

"Close the doors. Please."

Sakura turned, saw the darkness had spilled over the doorframe, was coiling and reaching for something. It seemed to hiss and recoil when she came near, drawing back as if stung and she gingerly, afraid and tentative, reached for the doors.

The handles were freezing, almost icy to touch and she slammed the shoji doors shut as quickly as she could, the metal handle burning a brand of icy pain in her palm. The darkness disappeared and slowly, slowly, the warmth and quiet ambience of the room began to return.

"Where are you?" Sakura demanded again. Her fists were balled. This was a sick joke of some sort. A prank that Naruto and Ino had set up to force her to believe in ghosts and Sayaka was in on it. But even as she thought that, Sakura knew it wasn't true. How could they have faked the well, the sticky mud? The darkness that hissed and coiled like it was alive? "Who are you?"

"My name is Kagami."

Sakura made a face. What an old fashioned name. "Kagami?"

"Yes." He sounded so sad, so quiet and lonely that despite her anger, her heart ached for him. What had happened to him, to make him so sound so sad? "What is your name?"

The question seemed loaded, but his voice was so earnest, so hopeful that Sakura couldn't help but answer. "My name is Sakura." She said, voice hushed.

Silence.

"That's a nice name." He said finally.

"Kagami," Sakura said slowly, taking a step forward, still holding herself and peering around the room. Half of her was sure he would leap out at her from somewhere and declare himself a friend of Ino's and that this was all an elaborate ruse. The other half didn't know what to think. "Where are you?"

She stepped in front of the mirror, still peering under the bed. It was the only possible place he could be. A movement out of the corner of her eye, caught her attention and she whipped her head around.

She gaped in confusion and horror.

Right there, in the mirror, the room was no longer empty. Instead, a lone, dark haired man sat against the blank stone wall, arms propped up on bent knees and head tipped back to stare at the dusty ceiling. He was dressed like the actors in the re-enactments Ino sometimes made her watch, with strange sandals and heavy, plate armour. Around his forehead, a shiny metal plate, etched with a strange snail like symbol.

She looked around, even though she knew he wouldn't be sitting behind her. But even so, seeing the empty space where he should have been, to be reflected in the mirror, made her shiver with fear. She looked back at him, half terrified he would jump out of the mirror and eat her.

But he didn't. All he did was let his head fall forward, staring out of the mirror at her. There was a sad smile on his face, dark eyes crinkled at the corners. "Hello."

Sakura had no words. She didn't know what to think. She took a shaky step forward, hand over her mouth.

And then another. And another, until she was standing in front of the horrible, monstrous mirror. Kagami watched her curiously, but didn't make a move to stand up, only shifting so he was cross legged and his hands loose in his lap.

Sakura swallowed. "Y-you're…"

He smiled again.

She reached up, hand shaky. "You're in the mirror." She breathed, hesitantly touching the smooth surface. It was freezing under her fingertips and she yanked them away with a gasp when the surface rippled under her touch.

She stumbled back a step.

"I am." Kagami said very quietly. "How did you get here, Sakura?"

"What's going on?!" Sakura demanded, at her wits end and her patience snapped. "Who are you?! Did Ino and Naruto put you up to this?!" She hissed. She didn't wait for him to answer, striding forward to yank the mirror away from the wall.

It all made sense now. There was a corridor behind the mirror, clever lighting to make it look like it was a reflection-

-Behind the mirror, solid, cold stone.

No corridor.

No man.

Just stone.

* * *

"Well?"

Kakashi tucked his radio back into its pouch. Next to him, Genma was grim faced and silent.

Chief Nara sighed. " _Jesus_ , nothing?"

"Nothing, Commander." Genma said quietly. "We had the teams comb the compound, top to bottom. No girl. We came back to report while teams 6 and 7 head out to start sweeping the forest."

Kakashi rather thought it was all a bunch of fuss about nothing. College students were wily and had the most freedom they would ever had. It wasn't uncommon for them to skip town on a whim and show up a few days later, broke and tired. It had happened numerous times, and each time, they turned up, safe and sound.

Having the entire force out at two am seemed like overkill. But when the Mayor himself asked the Police Chief to send out search teams, you damn well sent out as many men as you could. And unfortunately, that meant Kakashi was dragged out of bed at two am by his grumpy ass partner.

"Right, you two are heading back to the station. Question those kids." Chief Nara said tiredly. "Let me know if they tell you anything else, whether she was stable, happy, depressed. In the meantime, we'll keep sweeping the forest."

"Yes sir." Genma said.

Kakashi just saluted lazily. He owed Lord Minato, a hundred times over, but his son was a troublemaker and no doubt, the girl was too. He expected her to show up sheepish and rumpled the next morning.

Genma punched him in the arm when Shikaku walked away, cap under his arm, heading for where the mayor was talking quietly with three college students huddled by an ugly orange car. "Can you, for once, not be a smartass? I don't want to get stuck doing paperwork again because you decided to be rude."

"Oh, calm down." Kakashi said lazily, ambling towards their cruiser. "You worry too much."

"Idiot." Genma said, all sass and snark. He snatched the keys from Kakashi. "Just for that, I'm driving."

"Oh darling, keep that up and I might just kiss you."

Genma glowered at him. Kakashi grinned. One mention of the inappropriate nickname and Genma lost every single argument they had. One of the perks of the brunet man being younger and greener than Kakashi in the academy. "Just get in the car."

The ride back to the station was quiet. The orange car followed them sedately, easily keeping up with their powerful car. Kakashi wondered who was driving, Lord Minato or his troublemaking son.

Inside, the station was abuzz, many of the night shift beat cops rushing around in some stupid attempt to look busy once word had come through that the mayor himself would be making an unexpected visit. Kakashi thought they looked like a bunch of headless chickens.

Idiots.

"Kakashi."

He turned, saw that Lord Minato had ushered the three young adults inside. The blonde girl, Interrogator Inoichi's daughter, was white as a sheet, eyes puffy and red and curled up in a brown leather jacket. The other girl was trying to comfort her but doing a rather poor job of it. Naruto looked antsy, bouncing from foot to foot, eyes worried and creased at the corners.

"Captain." He said, shaking his old teacher's hand.

The Lord Mayor smiled tightly. "Come on, Kakashi, how long have we known each other?" He teased. His eyes fell on his partner, reaching over the counter to grab at something. "Genma, I almost didn't see you there!"

His partner straightened and Kakashi rolled his eyes at the lollipop that disappeared into Genma's pocket. "Captain!"

Lord Minato rolled his eyes. "You two…"

"Dad? What are we doing here?" Naruto called, voice pitchy and uncertain.

The blonde girl burst into silent tears.

The Mayor's face creased. "Right. Well, I'm glad its you two and not anyone else." He said lowly before walking back to the huddled mass of young adults. Kakashi heard him explaining the situation and the dark haired girl, the one who had reported the missing girl in the first place looked at them. There was something in her eyes that unsettled Kakashi.

Kakashi let Genma handle the kids, preferring to hang back and look bored as his partner ushered the first one, Naruto, through to an interrogation room. Lord Minato sat with the girl's, comforting Inoichi's daughter with quiet words and a smile.

"What's up, old man?" Naruto said as Kakashi entered the room, but his smile was weak, and his eyes were red rimmed and watery.

"Your friend is missing, that's what's up." Kakashi said gravely, throwing himself into the seat opposite Naruto. He studiously ignored the glare Genma shot him. "And we need to find her."

Naruto looked like he might start crying, raking his hands through his hair. His chin quivered, and he looked utterly pathetic, sitting there. "I don't know what happened. We just… We just want to invite her along, because she's been so busy with studying and I didn't want to her to be stressed out. It took us ages to convince her to come. It was just meant to be a bit of fun. But she didn't want to come upstairs with Ino and me and so she and Sayaka were just looking around downstairs-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down kid." Genma said kindly. "One thing at a time. You went to the compound, just to have a bit of fun, what kind of fun?" He asked.

Kakashi folded his arms. He wouldn't be surprised if Naruto was into weed, it wouldn't be unusual or an offence.

Naruto took a steadying breath. "Ino and me, we like you know… all the paranormal stuff. We always watch Ghost Catchers and Haunted Stories and that sort of stuff." He said, staring at the table. "We had this radio-" He scrabbled around in his pocket for a moment and showed them the funny looking radio.

It was nothing special, just a piece of junk that you could pick up at any of the mystical shops around town. Kakashi accepted it nonetheless. The kid seemed earnest enough.

"It started growling, like this deep, scary growl and Ino and I, we thought it was a demon dog." Naruto said. "Sakura said it was just the house settling."

Kakashi thought that Sakura sounded rather sensible.

"Okay, the demon dog." Genma said indulgently. "Did you all go and look for it?"

"No. Sayaka and Sa-Sakura thought it was stupid." Naruto whispered, scrubbing at his eyes harshly. His voice was shaky. "They wanted to look for swords and stuff and so we split up. And then next thing I know, I hear this horrible scream and when we get downstairs, Sayaka is talking all about how Sakura ran off, saying there was something in the room with her."

Kakashi pursed his lips when the twenty one year old burst into tears.

"So she ran away, because she was scared. Did she get scared easily, Naruto? Is that why you had to convince her to go?" Genma asked, probing but gentle.

Naruto laughed. "No, Sakura isn't afraid of anything." He blubbered. "She thought all that stuff was stupid, she doesn't believe in any of it. She says Ino and I are silly." He rubbed his face, chest heaving. "She wouldn't get scared by this stuff! She wasn't even scared when the growling happened. She just… She just came because we asked a-and… We just…"

Kakashi looked at Genma and shook his head.

Naruto was distraught. They'd get nothing out of him until he calmed down.

"Alright, that's okay, Naruto." Genma said kindly. "How about we get your dad, okay? And something to drink? Coffee? Orange juice?"

Naruto rubbed his face and looked up at them pleadingly. "Please find her." He begged.

Kakashi felt a twinge in his lower belly. "We will, don't worry." He said, surprising himself. Normally, he let Genma play the gentle, kind cop and he just sat there and glowered occasionally. But Naruto's distress was real and despite how much of a rambunctious idiot he was, Kakashi was still fond of the kid.

"You just stay here until we get the Lord Mayor, okay?" Genma said, rising from the table. As they left, his partner slipped his notebook back into his pocket. "So the girl wasn't afraid of ghosts, didn't even believe in them."

"Not unusual for people to get creeped out in a haunted house, no matter how much they're not afraid." Kakashi said easily. They walked back into the waiting room and Lord Minato was on them in an instant. "You might want to go in there and calm him down. He's pretty upset." He said.

His older teacher's jaw clenched. "Thank you." He said, before sweeping past Kakashi and Genma.

Genma sighed. "Who do you want next?" He asked, as they eyed the two girls huddled in the uncomfortable chairs.

Kakashi eyed the dark haired girl. She was the one who had called it in. Sayaka Watanabe. "I don't care."

Genma snorted. "Sure you don't." He nodded at the dark haired girl Kakashi had been watching. "I want her."

"Why?"

His partner looked at him and Kakashi knew that his partner had the same unsettled feeling he did. "She wasn't crying."

"She's crying right now."

"At the scene." Genma said in exasperation, as if talking to a small child. "She was making a lot of noise, but there weren't very many tears."

"Mm." Kakashi didn't say anything about the strange feeling he got around the girl. While his gut feelings were hardly ever wrong, it was early days and he was still of the mindset that Sakura would show up, sooner rather than later, alive and well. "Well, shall we then?"

Genma nodded at the officer standing over the girls, signalling for them to escort the dark haired one to another room.

As the officer and Sayaka walked past, Kakashi caught a glimpse of a white mark, tattooed on the inside of her wrist*.

* * *

Sakura put the mirror back, eyes wide. Kagami was watching her, his reflection moving strangely as the mirror vibrated and rippled. It made a metallic thunk as it hit the wall and the picture of Kagami shivered, the glass settling after a moment. Sakura's breath caught as one of the cracks in the mirror spread, rising higher and higher and distorting the line of Kagami's arm.

"Why…? How?" She breathed. She stumbled back a step. Horror was rising in her throat, confusion choking her and pity clouding her mind. "What are you…"

"An elaborate and cruel cage." Kagami said quietly.

Sakura reached for the mirror again but didn't touch it. It was still grotesque and awful. "I don't understand." She whispered. "How is this possible?"

Kagami looked tired. "Do you know the story of the Uchiha compound, Sakura?"

"Of course I do. We learn it when we're children." Sakura said, not quite understanding.

"Tell me." He said, shifting to he was leaning more comfortably against the wall. He smiled at her again, reassuring and soft. "Would you?"

Sakura crept around in front of the mirror again. It still creeped her out, not seeing a reflection. There was a tiny part of her screaming about how wrong this all was, yelling for her to take her chances with the blackness beyond the doors and get away from this mirror and the man inside it.

But another part of her saw how haggard he looked, how tired and just how small he looked, sitting there, all alone.

He smiled hopefully.

And Sakura's heart went out to him.

So she sat down in front of the mirror, tucking her legs under herself and folding her hands in her lap. "Well, in class they taught us that the Uchiha were a clan of great ninja warriors." She started. "They built this great compound, on top of the mountain, overlooking the mountain. My teacher said it was strategic, but the history book said it was because one of the founding members though the view was beautiful."

Kagami chuckled. "What do you believe?"

"I don't know. I suppose it could be both?" Sakura said, startled out of her thoughts. "They were a prosperous clan, big and powerful with the strongest warriors in the whole land. But…" She remembered the stories Ino and Naruto had told her with wide eyes and bated breath. "There were rumours that the clan leader and his brothers were demons, immortals with bloody powers that they used to destroy rival powers."

The man in the mirror was quiet, pensive as he waited for her to continue.

"Of course, that's all rubbish." Sakura said. "I rather think that people made up whatever they could to explain away war." She shook her head. "But I guess it doesn't matter. Because one day, a rival clan attacked and in one night, the entire Uchiha clan was dead and the leader and his brothers vanished into the night."

"What do you think happened to them?" Kagami asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I think they died in the chaos. They were men after all, not demons or gods, or whatever story people made up. My friend thinks they're stuck under this mountain, he thinks they're demons of some sort." She explained at his nonplussed expression.

"Ah." He said, smiling faintly. "And what then?"

"Well… I guess people moved on?" Sakura said a bit lamely. Outside of the festivals in Konoha once a year where street performers occasionally dressed up in grotesque costumes and pretended to be the rumoured Uchiha demons sealed away in the mountain, the Uchiha clan was never spoken about. They were long dead and aside from their compound, rotting away on the mountain, there was nothing left of them.

It was rather sad, to know that a whole family line was gone, just like that.

"So they became a story to tell children in lessons?" Kagami asked quietly.

Sakura nodded. "It's a shame. I wonder what the compound looked like when it was full of people."

"Perhaps you still might." Kagami said quietly.

Sakura looked at him strangely. "The Uchiha are all dead? And the land is protected by the council, no one is allowed on it."

"And yet here you are."

Well, Sakura couldn't argue with that. She huffed at her knees. Her thoughts returned to her friends and she looked up at the ceiling, wondering if they were looking for her. She knew they would be but all she could think was that they would never find here, not in this windowless room with a door leading into freezing darkness.

She squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't cry. It wouldn't help. Instead, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. Kagami had been watching her, eyes sympathetic. "Why… You… This is crazy." She whispered. "I'm talking to a mirror. Are you even real? Or am I just hallucinating this whole thing as I suffocate to death?"

"Suffocate?" Kagami asked curiously. "In what?"

Sakura laughed bitterly and pointed at the ceiling. "This girl my friend has a crush on… She went nuts and pushed me down a well. I think I'm drowning in mud right now." Saying the words out loud brought it all home and despite her best efforts she felt tears rising in her eyes. She swiped at them desperately. "Oh god, I'm dying."

For some reason, she found it almost funny.

"Why do you think you're dying?" Kagami asked after she had regained some of her composure.

She hiccupped. "Because what the Hell else could be going on? I was in a well and now I'm here and you're in a mirror and those doors lead to nothing at all." She said, pointing at the shoji doors a little ways from them.

"Sakura, do you know who I am?" Kagami asked gently, folding his own hands in his lap. He was cross legged now, eyes fixed on her face.

"A figment of my imagination?" She asked.

"Think." He urged her. "It will ease your mind."

Sakura sniffed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She took a deep breath, shuddering and halting. "You're Kagami."

He smiled and nodded. "Think, just a little bit more."

Sakura cocked her head, trying to figure out what he was getting at. She looked at him, saw the plate armour, the bandaged ankles and wrists, the strange empty holster on his back. He unwrapped his wrists and then held out the white strapping for her to see. There, embroidered on the thick fabric, a tiny red and white fan.

Her eyes snapped to his.

"What is my name, Sakura?"

"Kagami…" She whispered. " _Uchiha_."

His smile was very sad, eyes downturned. "Indeed."

"But the Uchiha are dead!" Sakura insisted, leaning forward. She didn't understand. What was going on?

"Every myth is based on truth." He said quietly. "My name is Kagami Uchiha and over a thousand years ago, my brothers and I were sealed under this mountain to languish in darkness and madness." His tone was cold, dark and full of rage.

It sounded wrong coming from his kind face.

Sakura was quiet, unable to truly believe what she was hearing. Demons? Sealing? Magic? A man who was over a thousand years old? All of it was impossible. This had to be some fever dream she was having. It couldn't be real. Things like this didn't happen in real life, only in ridiculous movies.

"Why?" She whispered, unable to truly grasp what he was saying. "Why would someone do that?"

He shrugged, face falling back into lines of exhaustion. "Jealousy, envy… Fear, arrogance. Who knows? The minds of men are… Fickle and easy swayed by others."

Sakura looked at him sharply.

The minds of _men_.

He was speaking as if he wasn't a man.

"Will you help me, Sakura?" He asked. And then Sakura heard the note of pleading in his voice, the desperation there. It spoke of loneliness and isolation, of years of no one to talk to and nothing to do.

"I can't…" She breathed. "I'm not… I don't believe in all that stuff." She said. "This is some sort of dream, isn't it? You're not real and when I leave here, I'm going to die."

"You are not going to die." He said, matter of fact and firm. There was no room for argument.

"Of course you would say that." Sakura sniffed, swallowing hard. She didn't want to die. She had so much she wanted to do, people to help, things to see, things to try. "You're a part of my imagination."

"I will not let you die, Sakura." He murmured. "I know the way out, and if you help me, I can show you."

"Out of here?" Sakura asked, hope blooming under her breastbone. She scarcely dared to believe it.

He nodded. "Out of this room, out of the mountain. _Home_."

Sakura wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up in bed and read a book, wanted to make a cup of hot chocolate and plan out her meals for the week. She wanted to call her mother and make plans to go for lunch, to watch those trashy daytime television shows on her laptop.

She looked at Kagami and saw the same longing on his face. She wondered how awful it must have been, to sit alone in this room for all those years with nothing but the fire to look at. She wondered how he hadn't gone mad.

And she just knew she couldn't leave him here, looking small and sad.

"What do I need to do?" She asked, finding the knot of courage in herself. It was small, but it was there.

Kagami looked at her, eyes narrow.

"We'll both get out of here." She said strongly.

His eyes softened. And then he said something in a foreign language. It seemed musical, almost lyrical. And as it caught her ears, it sound almost like she should understand, like the words were just on the tip of her tongue.

"What?"

"It is nothing." He murmured. He shifted onto his knees. "Do you see that gap, in the mirror?" He asked.

Sakura saw it. A tiny little shard, missing from the very middle of the reflective glass.

"I need you to find it and put it back."

"That's it?" She asked, frowning. It seemed too easy. Simply finding a small shard of glass and placing it back? That was all that was needed to break the seal on a thousand year old cage? It seemed too little. "Are you sure? What about the rest of the mirror?"

"That is the only piece that matters." He said quietly.

Sakura stood up, dusting her leggings off with her palms. "Why?" She asked. There was still a part of her, the rational part that insisted this couldn't be real, that this had to be brought on by lack of oxygen or too much stress or something. But louder and more hopeful than that voice, was another that reminded her that she had to get back to her friends.

That she couldn't just let this man stay down here.

"Only the kindest of hearts can put it back." Kagami said. "Without true intentions, it will burn you alive."

Sakura cringed. "Burn me alive?" She repeated, fear curling in her stomach.

Kagami smiled. "You agreed to help me, even though you don't know me. I think it will know you."

"I don't know what that means." Sakura muttered, wondering why he only spoke in riddles. She had never liked it when people did that. She always preferred them to tell her straight, give her the facts and tell her their thoughts without hiding anything.

But she wasn't dealing with a normal person.

At least…

That's what she thought.

Sakura looked around, for any place a shard of glass might be. She searched around the mirror, front and back, looking for any raised shadow, any gleam of light. But there was nothing. Of course, that would be too easy.

So she moved back to the bed. As she worked, flipping the mattress and patting it down methodically, Kagami talked to her.

"How old are you, Sakura?"

Sakura looked up from where she was groping around in the pillow. "Twenty one." She answered automatically.

"And what do you do, to dress so strangely?" He asked, peering at her clothes owlishly.

Sakura looked down. Her leggings and sneakers were hardly out of place. But if Kagami was over a thousand years old… he would never have seen a woman in such tight clothing before. She dropped the pillow, snatching up the blankets to shake them out instead. "I exercise in them." She said.

"You train?"

"Well, yeah." Sakura said, looking at the ground for any sparkle of glass.

Nothing.

"What do you train in?"

Sakura started pulling out the slats of the bed, peering into the little holes they left behind. They made a messy pile behind her and she sneezed at the dust she was kicking up. "Running mostly, but sometimes my friend makes me play tennis."

"I do not know what that is."

Sakura thought. "Um… You hit a ball with a racquet." She said. "You have to get it over a net."

Kagami looked bewildered by her explanation. "I do not understand." He said.

"I'm not explaining it very well." She admitted. The bed was empty, which only left the desk and then, after that, the doors that led to darkness. She put the slat she was holding down and walked over to the desk, avoiding the mess she had made. "I only do it sometimes though. It's just for fun."

"Then what else do you do? You are very well spoken… Are you a scholar?" He asked, sounding genuinely curious. When Sakura looked at him, he had moved closer to the mirror, was watching her intently, head tilted.

He looked very much a like a young boy.

"Um… Kind of?" Sakura said absentmindedly, pulling open the only drawer on the desk. It was empty save for more dust and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I study medicine mostly. When I graduate, I'll go into neuroscience and become a surgeon."

Silence.

She turned around and saw Kagami blinking at her. She smiled at him sheepishly. "I'm going to be a doctor." She said simply. "I help people get better when they're sick."

"A healer." He said.

"Well, that's not the word we would use." Sakura said, pulling the desk away from the wall with a loud screech. She peered behind it, under it, along the sides. No shard. She even ran her hands under the edges, along the bottoms of the table and drawer. "But sure."

Nothing.

"You must care about people a great deal, to want to help them, even if they are strangers." Kagami commented.

Sakura shrugged. "Everyone needs a little bit of help sometimes and well… We could always use more doctors." She stepped back from the desk. "It's not here." She said.

"What is?"

"The piece." She said. "It's not anywhere I can find it… the only place left is…" In unison, they both turned to look at the closed doors. Sakura loathed the thought of going back in there, feeling the icy cold of the black smoke. "It makes sense."

"It does." Kagami said.

Sakura took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. She had said she would help. And she would, even if it meant going in there. As she walked over to the doors, she imagined that the icy cold was what Kagami had meant when he said it would burn her alive.

 _Burn_ her alive.

Sakura froze and then spun on her heel.

The fire flickered happily behind her, jumping and crackling away cheerily. She hurried back towards it, peering into the orange depths with narrow eyes. She could hear Kagami asking what she was doing, but she ignored him in examining the glowing hot coals at the base of the fire.

She searched the flames for a few long minutes.

And just as she was beginning to think she had thought wrong, she saw it. The smallest gleam of white hot glass, right in the very centre of the flames. It was nestled in amongst the glowing coals, almost the same colour and no larger than her pinky finger.

"I found it." She murmured. "It's _in_ the fire."

"Ah." Kagami said a bit redundantly.

Sakura chewed her lip as she straightened, trying to think of a way to get it out. There were no tongs or anything she could use to push it out, nothing that wouldn't get her burnt at all. She could smother the flames, but then how would she see to put it back?

Sakura looked around at the heap of blankets she had abandoned on the ground. It was the only way. She would just have to hope that she could find her way back to Kagami's mirror by touch. Mind made up, Sakura strode over to pick up the dusty blanket. She shook it out once, coughing at the cloud of dust that swirled around her and then made her way back to the fire.

She watched the flames for a few moments and Kagami didn't say anything, obviously seeing what she was about to do.

And then Sakura threw the blanket onto the fire, spreading it wide so it covered the whole of the little blaze. As soon as it landed, she was stomping on the coals, stamping out the flames as best she could. The room was immediately plunged into darkness so thick it almost seemed tangible.

Sakura knelt, groping around for the blanket. She kept it over the flames as tightly as she could, screwing up her nose at the acrid smell of burning wool.

Sakura pulled the blanket off after a few minutes. The red hot coals glowed darkly, barely enough to light the floor around the stove. The glass gleamed in the centre of the fire, still hot. Using the corner of the burnt blanket as a glove, Sakura reached for the little shard.

Carefully, she levered it out, eyes fixed on it. "I got it." She whispered, barely breathing she was so afraid to drop it and accidentally burn herself. She could feel Kagami watching her and she looked up at him with a smile as she stood up.

As she did, she accidentally stepped on the corner of the blanket. It pulled hard and she stumbled when the blanket ripped out of her hand. The shard went flying.

Without thinking, Sakura snatched it out of the air before it could shatter against the ground. The sharp edges cut into her hand, once again reopening the cut there and Sakura hissed, loosening the fist she had made.

The mirror shard glittered darkly, stained with her blood.

"I got it." She said breathlessly, wincing as she dropped the shard into her other palm. Her bleeding palm stung, hot and achy and she knew she needed to be more careful if she didn't want to get an infection. She looked up, saw that Kagami was pressed up against the mirror, eyes wide. "I got it." She repeated reassuringly.

He drew back slightly, obviously relieved. "Are you alright?" He asked, pointing at her hand.

"Yeah." Sakura said. "It's okay."

"It did not burn you?" Kagami asked.

Sakura blinked, looking at the bloody shard of glass. She had just pulled it from the fire, but it was cool in her palm. "Oh…"

"I thought so." Kagami murmured.

"Thought what?" Sakura asked, padding over to the mirror. She didn't have much light to see by, only what was given by the glowing coals behind her. But the mirror glowed burnished orange in their light, easy to see when the rubies caught the light.

"It knew you."

"I still don't know what that means." She said darkly, examining the mirror closely, trying to figure out which way the shard went in.

"You will." Kagami said cryptically.

"So what, I just put it in? That's it?" Sakura asked, picking the bloody shard carefully. She twisted it this way and that until the edges lined up with the hole it had left behind.

"That is it." Kagami breathed. He had stepped back from the mirror, eyes alight with anticipation.

Carefully so she wouldn't drop it, Sakura slid the shard into its home with a light click. For a moment, nothing happened. And then, there was a flare of light from the shard, white and brilliant. It flared out, along the cracks in the mirror, sealing them back into one solid piece of glass.

And then it was over, in a matter of seconds.

"Did it work?" She whispered.

Kagami stepped forward, reaching for the mirror. Sakura backed away a step, wringing her hands.

There was a sigh, almost like dust hitting the ground and Kagami's hand slipped _through_ the mirror. The silvery surface rippled like water, parting around his pale arm.

Sakura's eyes leapt to his, a smile on her face.

Kagami was smiling too and for the briefest of seconds, Sakura was sure that his eyes were red.

But then they were black again and he looked sweet and childlike as he beamed at her and in one swift movement, he stepped through the mirror, ducking his head like he would under a doorframe.

He wasn't much taller than her, perhaps half a head. But he was broader in the shoulder, his chest wider and stronger than her own.

Sakura opened her mouth to ask him what it had felt like, walking through a mirror when there was a loud groan. Her eyes snapped to the mirror, where the noise was emanating from. She gaped in surprise when the room in the mirror began to collapse in on itself, the stone crumbling to ash and the floor heaving.

In moments, the room was gone, leaving the mirror pitch black.

And then, with a loud crack, the mirror split, straight down the mirror. A strong hand wrapped around her upper arm, dragging her backwards and she shrieked in shock when the mirror shattered, shards exploding outwards in a shower of white and silver.

The shards hit the floor with a musical tinkle, glittering in the firelight, looking like star dust as they gleamed. Sakura looked at the mirror in shock and saw that the blood red rubies inlaid in the gold were loosing their brilliance, fading and dulling. The gold was tarnishing and in places, breaking off altogether.

And then, with another quiet sigh, the mirror crumpled into dust at their feet.

"What the Hell was that?" She demanded, hand over her heart. She looked up at Kagami, who was still holding her arm. His eyes were fixed on the mirror, narrow and mouth set in a strangely triumphant smirk.

"A fitting ending." He said.

Sakura made a face at his cryptic words. "You really need to stop doing that." She muttered.

"What?"

"Speaking all… Riddle like." She said, pulling her arm free of his hold. She took a deep breath. She knew that it was stupid, doing all this. All of this was an elaborate dream brought on by her subconscious in response to stress and lack of oxygen. But there was still a tiny part of her that believed she would go home. "You said you knew the way out."

"I do." Kagami said, turning to face her.

Sakura squeaked when he took her by the shoulders. "What are you doing-"

"Out is down." He said. "My brothers still languish below us and they must be set free."

"Brothers?! Out is down- What the hell does that mean?!" Sakura demanded, unable to quite comprehend what he was saying to her. She squirmed away from him, glaring at him warily. "I want to go home! _**You said I could go home**_!"

Kagami closed his eyes, hands falling to his sides. "Thank you, Sakura." He said, and Sakura felt her heart stutter in her chest when his eyes opened. They were blood red, almost glowing and three strange comma patterns swirled around his pupil, almost mesmerising. "Truly."

And then, the floor gave way beneath Sakura's feet and she was falling again.

* * *

Kakashi swore when there was a loud rumbling from deep within the Earth and the whole building shook violently. The whole office froze, and everyone's heads snapped up. He grabbed the doorframe as Genma slammed into his back, widening his stance to keep his balance.

A mug slipped off a nearby desk, shattering on the ground with a loud crash.

And then it was all over.

The ground was still, and the rumbling had quieted. For a long moment, they all stayed where they were, staring at each other, at the windows, around the office in confusion.

"What the Hell was that?" Someone asked, voice hushed.

Kakashi looked out the window and saw that the dawn sky was blood red.

* * *

*The tattoos on the wrists are important my friends. Keep them in mind.

It's longer than I wanted – I wanted to keep all the chapters around 5000 words but this is closer to 8500 lol. Don't expect them all to be this long, but I had to set some stuff up. There are a few clues here and there to the overarching plot, but nothing that will really give anything away I'm afraid. Do not fret, all will be revealed!

Kagami means mirror (Wiki and translate, it's also the same character in Chinese I think, which also reads as mirror), hence the mirror he was trapped in and the title of the chapter. All of the subsequent Uchiha and chapter titles have something to do with the character's name or something that is central to them as a character. I was just going to go off the character's name but Itachi is literally called weasel, so that was... Yeah.

Also, demons is probably the wrong word for what I have in mind for the Uchiha. Primordial beings is probably more apt.

One last thing, Provocation (the ShiSaku I was writing) went through like six name changes but I finally have one I'm happy with. And I've finally got the plot mostly fleshed out in my brain, I just need a bit of time to sit down for a little bit and smash it out. I should have done it instead of writing this but this chapter came a lot more naturally.

Let me know what you think guys and I hope you all enjoyed!


	3. Day 3: Memories

I KNOW I'M LATE.

I had to have surgery on my face - nothing serious, just had to get my wisdom teeth removed. That was on Monday which meant I couldn't upload cause I was all over the place from the anesthetic. I tried to finish it yesterday but ugh, my face was about to fall off and I was not having a good time let me tell you. So, I am sorry it's late. I'll try to keep to a more regular schedule and have chapter 4 of this uploaded by Monday next week, but no promises.

Also, just a heads up, I also fucked the timeline a little bit last chapter. So, uh, technically Sakura fell at the very beginning of day 2, like 6 or 7am, but she was supposed to meet Obito (who this chapter is about) on DAY 3. So like, had to do some last minute shuffling on the times and stuff. It's a bit clunky, but it works. Kind of. Okay, it doesn't work that well, but I'm not going back and retconning stuff because my name isn't DC.

Last thing - Someone asked why Naruto reacted the way he did, like why didn't he get fired up and go looking for Sakura? I am a bad writer, that's why. Nah, in reality, I was trying to get across that Naruto knows instinctively that something is very wrong - Naruto is a very emphatic person, so I think he would probably know right away that something was off about her disappearance. Also, kid's not a ninja in this story, he's a dumbass uni student, he's not going to have the same coping skills canon Naruto would. Also the reason why Sakura is such a sap in this chapter - they're normal kids, they don't really know how to cope with bad things happening.

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 2: Memories

Sakura screamed as she plummeted down, hair in her face and arms and legs flailing. The air whipping by made her eyes sting and tear up. It was dark again, the same choking blackness that had engulfed the world outside the shoji doors.

She squeezed her eyes shut, sure that her encounter with Kagami had been a dream, and this was truly the end of her.

She wondered, would it hurt?

But instead of hitting the ground, of feeling pain and agony that came with broken bones and bruised muscle, Sakura just kept falling.

And falling.

And falling.

Sakura opened her eyes cautiously. It was still dark, so dark that she wasn't quite sure which was she was facing. By now, her throat had given up and she fell in silence. It seemed never ending, the complete blackness she was falling in.

As she fell, Sakura noticed that the darkness wasn't so dark anymore. She could faintly see the outline of her hand and her sleeve. She turned her head, looking down and saw that far below her, the darkness gave way to white.

The darkness turned grey and then white and Sakura readied herself for the impact.

Instead of splattering all over the ground, like she had expected, Sakura just simply… stopped.

Looking around, Sakura saw that she was floating, arms and legs akimbo. For a moment, she felt like she was encased in jelly, holding all of her limbs captive. And then, with a sickening roll, the world spun, and Sakura found herself standing upright.

She swayed, head spinning from the unexpected turn. She felt lightheaded and stumbled a little before collapsing on the ground. Disoriented, Sakura shook her head gently, to try and clear her blurry vision.

After her head had stopped spinning, Sakura looked back up. There was no darkness that she could see, only white light stretching up and up and up. She looked down, squeezing her eyes shut.

She felt absolutely stupid. Trusting Kagami to help her get out. She had truly believed that once she found the mirror shard and helped him out of the mirror, he would show her the way out and this whole awful ordeal would be over.

She stared at her hands, braced on the white ground before her.

Naïve, stupid Sakura.

Of course the man, demon, whatever Kagami was, would say anything to get her to help him. Of course he would tell her what she wanted to hear.

 _Idiot_.

Tears of frustration and helplessness sprang to her eyes and Sakura swiped them away angrily. All of this seemed so fantastical, it couldn't possibly be real. But a part of Sakura knew, instinctively, that this wasn't a dream. She had tried so hard to deny the possibility of this being real, but what else could it be?

"Kagami?" She called, voice quivering and weak. "Kagami, where are you?"

No one answered her. The whiteness around her was silent and dispassionate. It was pleasantly warm, but even so, the sheer emptiness of the space around her made Sakura shiver.

The tears came thick and fast and soon she was crying into her hands, shoulders heaving, and chest wracked with painful sobs. It was all too much. Why did all of this have to happen to her?

She had no answers for her questions and eventually, her tears died down.

Sakura hiccupped, scrubbing her wet face with her sleeves. Her eyes stung and burned, and she was exhausted. The stress of all of this, of thinking she was dying, of meeting Kagami and being told about the existence of immortal demons, it was all too much.

She wanted to sleep and wake up, safe and sound in Naruto's car, or in her bed. Her tears came back suddenly when she imagined never leaving this place.

Curling into a ball on her side, Sakura covered her face with her hands, closing her eyes and willing it all away.

With tears on her face, Sakura fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"Right, Ms. Watanabe, correct?" Genma said pleasantly as they let themselves into the interrogation room.

Kakashi lingered slightly behind his partner, watching the young woman carefully. She looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes and hair mussed from running her fingers through it. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she was playing with her fingers nervously.

It was the picture of a distraught friend.

She nodded quickly, and Kakashi saw her throat bob as she swallowed. "H-have you found her yet?"

Genma took a seat. Kakashi opted to lean against the wall, folding his arms.

"Not yet." Genma said gently. "We're looking though, don't worry about that."

She tried a smile on, chin quivering.

"Now, Sayaka, can I call you Sayaka?" Genma probed.

She nodded again.

"You and Sakura, were you close?"

Sayaka shook her head slowly. "I'd only met her a few times… We're not in the same course. I really only knew her through Naruto. But she seemed so nice all the time- she wants to be a doctor, y'know?" She shrugged, a sad smile on her face. "I thought it might be nice to be her friend."

"So you weren't friends, but you wanted to be… Is that why you and Sakura didn't go with the others?" Genma said, flipping through his notebook and scribbling down her answers.

"Yes… We, well, on the way there, we were talking about how dumb it all was." Sayaka said. "Ghosts and stuff don't exist." She shrugged, raking her fingers through her hair. "I was more interested in the history stuff and so was she…"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, spotting the white symbol on the inside of her wrist. Now that he could see clearly, he realised it wasn't a tattoo at all, but rather writing of some kind. Sayaka's hand disappeared beneath the table again.

Kakashi wasn't sure why, but he was sure that tattoo was important.

"So you two were just looking downstairs." Genma confirmed. "Did you see anything strange? Maybe Sakura was jumpy or nervous?"

Sayaka shook her head regretfully. "She was fine. She was telling jokes and making fun of the others."

"What did you two see downstairs? Anything cool?" Genma asked, tapping his pen on the empty page of his notebook, careful not to show Sayaka that he wasn't writing down her answers at all.

"We found some old weapons… Uh, a jewellery box. Sakura was mostly interested in the massacre- she kept asking me if I thought the Uchiha sacrificed people." Sayaka curled in on herself, hair falling over her face. "It was such a weird question- Like… Why would she ask me that?" Her voice cracked on the last word and she looked up at Genma, eyes teary.

Kakashi realised what was bothering him about the pretty girl.

Her behaviour, it was the perfect example of a confused, and frighted young woman worried about a close friend.

But it was _too_ perfect.

All of her responses, the movements of her arms, her tears, they were all a masterful act. And had he been anyone else, he just might have fallen for it.

"I don't know, Sayaka." Genma said comfortingly, smiling at the young woman. "Now, when did she run away and push you down?"

"We were looking at the weapons room, and she wandered off. I found her in this weird… basement room near the kitchen." Sayaka explained quietly. "She was looking at this old toy and as soon as I came in, she just freaked out on me. She started screaming about how there was something in the room with us." The young woman shivered.

"Take your time." Kakashi said sharply.

She looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Sorry, he's a bit… Ignore him." Genma said with a sigh, sending Kakashi a mock glare. "Go on, Sayaka."

"I don't know! She just… She just went crazy, she threw all these things at me, knocked all this stuff over and then when I tried to calm her down she pushed me over. By the time I got up… She had run away." Sayaka said, looking at Genma beseechingly. "I don't know what happened, it was so sudden and- and…" She burst into tears again, covering her face with her hands.

And just like Genma had said, there was a lot of noise and shaking shoulders, but no tears.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and tapped Genma on the side of the leg with his foot. His partner didn't react outwardly, but he knew what Kakashi was saying.

"Alright, Sayaka, it's okay now. We won't go any further tonight, okay?" Genma said, voice warm and sympathetic. He handed his handkerchief to the crying girl. "You just hang out in here, we'll get you something to eat and after we make these reports, we'll get you a ride home, okay?"

She nodded, burying her face in the little square of fabric.

Kakashi cocked his head, trying to memorise the little symbol emblazoned on her wrist. Once he had, he glanced at Genma.

"Give us a minute, Sayaka, we'll get a deputy to bring you something to eat." Genma told her, standing up and pushing his chair back in. "Shouldn't be too long for us to get your statement written down, okay?"

"Okay." She said weakly, voice muffled.

They found a deputy to take her statement and then they went next door to the viewing room to watch Sayaka more closely. Genma immediately started rooting around in one of the cabinets, no doubt looking for his not so secret stash of lollipops.

"Well, what do you think?" Genma said, arm deep in the filing cabinet.

"Give the girl an academy award." Kakashi said dryly as he watched the deputy introduce himself to Sayaka. The girl was no longer pretending to cry, instead combing her fingers through her hair gently, face faraway.

"Mm." Genma said, coming up to stand next to him, cherry sucker in his mouth. "She's good."

They watched in silence for a few moments, as Sayaka charmed the hapless deputy. The poor boy went bright red when he handed her a bag of chips and she smiled brilliantly at him.

"Why though?" Genma asked as they watched Sayaka begin to fill out her statement, the deputy tapping his hands on the table. "Why act?"

Kakashi didn't know the answer to that. He had a few ideas. Maybe Sakura had run off with a boy and sworn Sayaka to secrecy, or perhaps Sayaka had simply lost track of Sakura and didn't want to admit it. Maybe Sakura had fallen over and hit her head and Sayaka had panicked.

There was another, more sinister explanation for her acting of course.

There was a knock on the door and Ebisu poked his head around the doorjamb. He pushed his glasses up his nose, mouth set in a frown.

"Inoichi's here." He said. "Wants to know why we hauled his kid in without telling him."

Kakashi groaned. Just what they needed, the Chief's federal agent best friend and an ex-Navy Seal breathing down his neck about his precious, pretty little princess.

"You're dealing with it." Genma said immediately, shoving Kakashi towards the door.

"Sure thing, darling, but you're doing my paperwork." He said with a smile.

He walked out just as Genma flipped him off.

He followed Ebisu into the waiting room, and sure enough, Inoichi Yamanaka was standing next to his daughter like a particularly terrifying and muscular mother hen. The blonde man was glowering at everyone, arms folded.

"Hatake, what the Hell is the meaning of this!?" He boomed, striding forward.

"Dad!" Ino cried. "Dad, stop it!"

"Standard procedure, sir." Kakashi said breezily "Sakura Haruno went missing a few hours ago… We're just trying to figure out what happened."

"I told you dad, they're looking for her!" Ino blubbered, clinging to her father's elbow. "Please, just don't make it more complicated!"

"They were going to question you without a lawyer present, Ino-"

"I don't need a fucking lawyer!" Ino screamed, losing her temper. Her face went red and her eyes flashed with frustration and anger. "Stop saying that! Sakura is gone, dad and they're just trying to help!"

"Ino, please-"

"She's missing!" The blonde university student shrieked, obviously losing it. "She's gone and all you can think about is lawyers- _I just want Sakura back_!" She was breathing hard, obviously distraught.

Kakashi could see the symptoms of a panic attack a mile away, the accelerated breathing, the dilated pupils. "Kid, you need to sit down." He said, raising a hand to try and calm her down. "You're going pass out if you don't calm down-"

"I need you to find Sakura!" She snarled, turning on him instead. Her father tried to catch her arm and she yanked it away, backing away from them both. "Why aren't you looking for her?! Why are you wasting your time talking to us! Go and look for her!" She screamed, looking around at the silent waiting room.

"Ino!" Inoichi snapped sharply. "Sit down."

"No!" Ino cried. "No! I want Sakura! Why aren't you looking for her?!" She shrieked furiously, holding herself tightly.

"We are looking for her- Do you want to see the search grid we made?" A new voice asked, gentle and soothingly calm.

Kakashi glanced behind him and saw that Kurenai had emerged from her office. Her vest was missing, and her hair was down, making her look younger.

Ino looked hunted as she stared at Kurenai.

"We're looking all through the compound, top to bottom and in the forest too." Kurenai explained carefully, moving closer to the panicking student slowly. "We've got six teams of four men out looking for Sakura, they'll find her." She said.

"You promise?" Ino asked and even though Kakashi was a war vet and hardened by his years of service, he felt the pleading in those words.

"I promise." Kurenai said gently. "How about you sit down for me, okay?" The younger detective said kindly, putting a hand on Ino's shoulder. She guided the young woman back to the seat she had leapt out of, hand on her shoulder. "There we go."

Ino looked up the woman pleadingly. "You'll find her, right?"

And that was when Kakashi saw it.

On her wrist, tattooed on the inside, was another white symbol. It wasn't quite the same as Sayaka's, but it was similar enough to pique his interest. He didn't know why he was so fixated on those symbols, but he just knew they were important somehow.

Kurenai continued to talk the girl down. Once the girl had calmed a little, Kakashi tapped Kurenai on the shoulder and pulled her aside while Inoichi began to comfort his daughter.

"I need you to get a picture of that design on her wrist. Ask her where she got it… that sort of thing."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Why? You think it'll make you more popular with the ladies?" She asked dryly, folding her arms.

"Something like that." Kakashi said blithely. "Now shoo, go and get me that photo." He said, waving her away. He backed away, aware that crowding the young woman would only stress her out more. As it were, he didn't think that they would get anything of value out of her now, she was far too stressed.

He watched Kurenai engage the girl again with a smile, taking Ino's hands in her own.

"The Hell did you do?" Genma asked, looking vaguely disturbed as he hurried up to Kakashi's side. "I heard screaming."

"Why do you immediately assume it was my fault?" Kakashi said, a little bit offended by the lack of faith his partner had in him.

"Because it's always you." Genma said shortly, peering over at where Kurenai and Inoichi were still talking to Ino, both of them kneeling in front of her and smiling comfortingly. "What happened?"

"She freaked out." Kakashi said, following Genma's gaze. "Started panicking and demanding we find Sakura."

"I'm guessing the presence of her father means she isn't talking to us now?" Genma asked.

"We'd get shit all from her anyway. Kid's so close to snapping I'm surprised it took her this long to lose it." Kakashi shook his head. "We'll need to wait until she's had time to calm down fully, or else she's liable to go off the rails fully. And then, the Chief'll have all our asses for frightening the kid of his best friend."

Genma sighed, rubbing his forehead. "God I hate university students." He muttered.

"I think they're even more dramatic than teenagers." Kakashi said lightly. He turned away from the huddled bunch, crowding a little closer to Genma so he could whisper. "She's got one of those tattoos too."

"What?"

"Sayaka had a tattoo on the inside of her wrist." Kakashi explained. "Ino has one as well."

"So?" Genma snapped, obviously annoyed by Kakashi's lack of explanation. "Girls that age get them all the time. I think they call them like… Henna or something? I dunno, my sister's kid is into that crap."

Kakashi hummed, glancing back at Kurenai and Ino. His colleague was taking a photo of Ino's wrist, smiling widely and saying something about her niece.

* * *

"So you're saying you have nothing?" Chief Nara said over the phone. He sounded like shit, but Kakashi liked his job so he didn't say that. "No secret boyfriends, no anxiety about her studies- Nothing?"

"By all accounts, Sakura Haruno was a well-adjusted girl." Genma said. "She was excited about her upcoming internship. There's nothing on her facebook or other social media that even hints at a mental breakdown."

Chief Nara's sigh crackled over the line. "So we have nothing."

"No sign of her?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing in the compound, and no sign of her so far in the forest." Chief Nara said grumpily. He sighed again. "Alright, pack it up then. I'll keep the search going here, the mayor's sent over some of the guys in basic training to bolster our numbers. You two report back in tomorrow morning at 8, maybe we'll have something by then."

Kakashi hummed. A twenty four hours off? That sounded wonderful to him, as long as Genma didn't barge into his house at 2am again.

"Yes sir."

The line went dead and Kakashi yawned, ready for sleep. At his side, Genma shook his head and ambled off to clock out. Before he followed him, Kakashi ducked into Hayate's office to drop off the picture he'd gotten from Kurenai.

"I've got too much on my plate right now, Hatake." Hayate said grumpily, barely even looking at Kakashi's print out. "It'll have to wait."

"I know where Genma's stash of cola lollipops are." Kakashi wheedled with a grin.

Hayate's hands froze on the keyboard and he looked up at Kakashi with narrow eyes.

"Bottom drawer of the records room." Kakashi said, flapping the paper. "I'll give you the code if you rush this for me?" It was working, he could see the cogs turning in Hayate's mind.

The sickly man snatched the paper from Kakashi's hand. "Code, now." He barked.

"7231." Kakashi said breezily, already striding from the room. "And have I ever told you I love you, Hayate?"

"Give me twelve hours and I'll have your stuff." Hayate said, already engrossed in staring at the picture.

Genma met him in the locker room, leather jacket thrown over one shoulder. His partner gave him a squinty eyed look of suspicion. "What?"

Kakashi whistled pleasantly. "Nothing at all, darling, nothing at all."

* * *

Day 3: Memories

"Rin!"

Sakura woke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright at the boyish yell.

"Rin, where did you go?"

She looked around, searching for the source of the voice desperately. But there was nothing but whiteness around her.

"Rin!"

Sakura curled her arms around herself. She hated it. All of it. Not knowing where she was, what was going on. If she was even alive.

But as she sat there, Sakura began to get angry. Angry at Kagami for tricking her, angry at Ino and Naruto for always doing stupid things, at Sayaka for being crazy and pushing her down here in the first place. But most of all, Sakura was angry at herself, for sitting here and moping around like a child.

She wasn't this weak frightened girl. What was she doing, sitting here feeling sorry for herself?

Pushing herself to her feet, Sakura steeled her resolve. Even if Kagami didn't want to let her out, it didn't matter. Sakura wasn't staying in here and if no one would help her, fine, she would do it herself.

"Rin! You are running too fast!"

That voice again.

Sakura looked around, searching for the source of it and jumped back in surprise when a young girl, maybe eleven or twelve, ran straight through her. It felt odd, like a cold mist brushing over her skin and Sakura gasped, hands pressing against her stomach.

Sakura turned, just in time for the little girl to stop, and turn around. She was pretty, with brown hair and eyes, purple tribal tattoos inked onto her cheeks and forehead. "Maybe you are just too slow, Obito!" She cried, smile delighted.

"I am not!"

This time, Sakura managed to get out of the way of the young boy who barrelled past. He was shorter than the girl, with messy hair and mud on his face. He skidded to a halt, hands on his knees and gasping for air.

"Stop doing that!" He demanded breathlessly.

"You run too slow, Obito! One day one of Kaguya's demons is gonna catch you!" The girl teased.

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh! You can't even catch me!" The girl giggled, bouncing around excitedly. "Come on, come on! We are never going to see the star shower if you keep being slow!" And with that, she was gone, bounding off on slim legs, her white dress floating out behind her.

The boy spluttered. "Rin!" He cried, obviously distressed and he ran off after her.

"Hurry, Obito!" Rin cried, laughing.

"Wait for me!" He wailed.

The two children disappeared a little ways from Sakura, the sound of Rin's laughter and Obito's shouting lingering on longer than they did.

It had all happened so quickly Sakura hadn't had time to even process it. She took a few tentative steps after the children. "What… Was that?" She asked no one in particular. "Another hallucination?"

But Sakura knew that wasn't- couldn't be true. People didn't imagine things they hadn't already seen before and Sakura was sure she had never seen either of those children in her life. And she certainly would have remembered such old fashioned names.

It was clear something wanted her to go that way, after the children and for a moment, Sakura was tempted to stomp off in the other direction just to spite Kagami and his riddles.

But she knew, if she did that, she might get trapped in this white hellscape forever.

And that was unacceptable.

Sakura didn't want to believe in ghosts and demons and whatever else was going on, but she had no choice now. She couldn't deny that something was going on… Something that she didn't understand and quite frankly, didn't want to.

But she was _not_ dying here.

Demons or no demons, Sakura was going to get out of here and punch Sayaka in her stupid face.

Setting her jaw, Sakura stalked after the children, fists clenched.

She walked for what seemed like hours, but Sakura didn't trust her sense of time. Who knew what strange tricks this place was playing on her?

She slowed when the air and ground in front of her shimmered and rippled and then, out of the ground, a tree started to grow. It grew quickly, branches reaching for the sky. Grass grew at its base, and then with a sigh, the same boy from before, albeit a little taller and lanky appeared. He was sprawled underneath it, arms and legs akimbo and leaves in his hair. He was fast asleep, dirt on his face and a wooden sword lying a little ways from him.

He looked rather sweet, asleep like that.

There was a shimmer and the girl materialised just ahead of Sakura. She was holding a little box, wrapped in bright orange cloth. This time, her dress was blue and there was a crown of flowers in her hair.

At the sight of the boy sleeping she sighed, shaking her head. "Oh Obito…" She murmured. "You didn't stay out here all night, did you?"

The boy snorted, scratching his nose, still fast asleep and something about the way he was sleeping, without a care in the world, reminded Sakura of Naruto.

Humming, the girl, Rin, knelt next to Obito, setting the box next to her. Sakura recognised it as one of those bento boxes Ino was obsessed with. "Obito…" She sang quietly, poking the boy in the cheek. "Time to wake up!"

With a snort, Obito woke, sitting bolt upright and nearly headbutting Rin in the face. "Whas- Rin?"

"You have leaves in your hair." Rin said, matter of fact as she pulled one of the leaves from Obito's messy head.

Obito went bright pink at their proximity and Sakura had to giggle at the wide eyed look of panic on his face. Quickly, the boy batted at his head, showering both he and Rin with leaves.

"Obito!" Rin laughed, flapping her hand and shaking her head. "You are getting them everywhere!"

Obito stopped his head shaking, a smile growing on his face. "Did you come looking for me, Rin?" He asked, a hopeful glint in his eye and Sakura just knew that the young boy was smitten with the pretty brunette.

"You stayed out all night again!" Rin scolded, picking up the box and shoving it at the boy. "Your brothers sent me to find you."

Obito sagged a little bit but took the box anyway. "I was training." He said with a pout. "I wanted to perfect Madara's training before today." He picked up a stray leaf and threw it away grumpily.

"Well you have to stop doing it!" Rin said imperiously, folding her arms. "You could catch a chill, falling asleep in the cold!" She narrowed her eyes at Obito. " _And_ you missed breakfast."

Obito deflated a little bit more at her words and Sakura felt a bit bad for him. It was very clear that he was absolutely enamoured with the young girl and she suspected that his late night training had been in an attempt to impress her. "Sorry, Rin." He said with a sigh.

Rin smiled at him, ducking her head to get a look at his face. "It is okay, Obito." She said. "I saved you some before the others ate it all." She pushed at the box in his lap. "I made your favourites too… Fish fillets and sweet potato."

Sakura watched the adorable little preteens. Obito was bright red that Rin had thought to make his favourites and dug in eagerly and Rin was beaming at his enthusiasm. It was rather adorable, watching Obito's eyes shine as Rin told him about her morning tending to the gardens.

But like the image of them before, this one began to fade too and soon enough, there was nothing left of the tree or the two children beneath it.

Sakura lingered for a moment. It felt almost bittersweet, to see such an innocent memory fade away like that. But she knew she had to keep moving.

The walk this time was much shorter.

Another image materialised in front of her.

Rin and Obito were taller again, older. Rin's hair was still short, but her tattoos had lengthened, spreading across her forehead and connecting to the ones on her cheeks. It made her look wild and mysterious.

Obito had grown too, broader in the shoulder and arms and legs finally thickened with muscle.

Rin was seated on the edge of the little creek, holding another one of her boxes, though the cloth from it, a yellow one this time, had been pulled off and was tied in her hair like a bow. Obito was in the water, wading around and seemingly uncaring that his pants were getting wet.

"You are never going to catch him." Rin said, leaning over the water. "He is too fast."

"I will!" Obito cried, and then he lunged forward, eyes bright and a grin of boyish excitement on his face. There was a loud splash and lots of thrashing around. Rin squealed, trying to shield herself from the droplets of water.

Obito popped back up, soaking wet and panting. "Got him!" He cried, holding up… a clump of weed.

Rin stared for a moment and then giggled. "Well done." She said indulgently, nodding her head.

Obito looked at his prize and deflated sadly. "Oh."

Rin burst out laughing and Sakura smiled at the light sound. Obito brightened too, pushing himself up out of the water, still holding onto his clump of limp plant. He tossed it back into the water with a flick of his wrist and then waded back to slump on the bank next to Rin.

Rin wrinkled her nose, shifting away delicately. "You'd better not get me wet, Obito Uchiha, or I'll chase you around with a stick." She warned, dumping the box into his lap.

Obito kicked his feet in the water. "I wouldn't get your pretty dress wet, Rin." He said earnestly.

Rin smiled at her lap, cheeks pinkening just a little. Sakura tilted her head, smiling at the sweet couple they made, sitting on the edge of the river bank. "My mother made it for me." She murmured, smoothing down the fabric. "Do you like it?"

Obito nodded vigorously, mouth full of food and cheeks bulging. "It looks great!" He said thickly though his food.

Rin giggled. "Chew first!" She scolded, flapping a hand at him.

The scene faded as Obito nearly choked on his mouthful in his hurry to swallow and Rin laughed harder. Sakura liked these scenes, they were all very innocent and sweet. She wasn't quite sure what they meant, but she did know that Rin and Obito were in love.

She walked on, hoping for another sweet interaction between the two teenagers. But as she walked, Sakura noticed that it was starting to get darker, almost as if the whiteness was starting to fade.

In fact… it was starting to look grey.

She looked up and around and then behind herself. She could see, in the distance, the stark whiteness and then gradual fade to grey.

"This is… This is what you do? This is what you are?!"

Sakura jumped and spun around. Rin had appeared behind her, Obito too. Rin looked horrified, clutching herself and staring at Obito with wide, terrified eyes.

"Rin please-"

Rin swung her arm out and as she did, there was a flare of red and Sakura gasped when a burning village appeared. The houses were collapsing, dark plumes of smoke painting the sky black. A horse ran by, screaming, its mane aflame and its flank bloodied. "Look!" She screamed. "Obito tell me… Tell me this wasn't you."

"I had to, Rin."

"No!" Rin cried, bursting into tears. "They were happy-"

"It was necessary-"

"They were innocent!" Rin screamed, cutting him off. She backed away a step. "There were families in there, Obito. Children. How many did you kill?"

Obito's face shuttered.

"How many?!" Rin demanded, face pale. "How many, Obito?"

Obito said nothing, looking away from the carnage.

"You do not know… Do you?" Rin whispered. She looked at the ground. "I thought you were different from the others… What happened to the kind boy, I knew, Obito?"

"I am still him, Rin." Obito begged, taking a step forward. He froze though, when Rin backed away from him, face afraid. "Rin, please, _nothing_ has changed."

Rin shook her head violently and then turned on her heel and ran, back towards Sakura. She ran straight through her in a cold gust of wind and Sakura hissed, looking down at her stomach.

When she looked up, Obito was gone.

Ahead of her, the grey got darker and darker.

Sakura shivered. What had gone wrong? Why would Obito…

She took a tentative step forward. Around her, the greyness seemed to press in closer to her, oppressive and heavy.

As she walked, it got darker and darker and the pleasant warmth turned to stinging cold. Sakura rubbed her arms, wondering why it was always cold and dark.

A flare of light ahead of her.

She gasped, hand flying to her mouth. Obito was kneeling in amongst flames, Rin cradled to his chest. He was wailing, and it was clear from Rin's limp arm and closed eyes, that she was dead. Instead of her white dress, she was dressed in delicate green armour, her helmet torn away and thrown aside. Her chest plate had been caved in by a mighty blow.

At her limp fingers, a slender blade.

"Oh no…" Sakura whispered.

She saw Obito's armour, his sword, slammed tip first into the ground a little way from the couple, his abandoned helmet, snarling and horned.

"What did…" Obito whispered. "What have I done?"

Sakura's heart sank.

"Why were you here, Rin? Why?!" He demanded. He pulled her closer to him. "Why did you protect them? They were never going to…"

Obito stiffened, shoulders rising, and Sakura gasped when he turned around, eyes blazing red. They were the same colour as Kagami's with the same strange comma symbols swirling around and around his pupil. But there was no kindness in these eyes, only fury and hatred.

" _You_." He snarled, glaring at her.

"I didn't-" Sakura spluttered, backing away.

Obito set Rin's body down gently and rose. He reached out one hand and Sakura's eyes felt like they might fall out of her head when his sword flew into his hand. "You killed her!"

"No!"

He lunged, and Sakura screamed, raising her arms in a futile attempt to shield herself from the blow.

It never landed, and instead, Obito shattered when he collided with her. Shards of light exploded around her and she shut her eyes, trying to protect them.

When she opened them again, Rin was gone and so was Obito. Instead, all that lay ahead of her was darkness. It seemed ominous and cold, pulsing and writhing.

She took a tentative step forward and the darkness hissed at her, recoiling and snapping at the greyness. It seemed unwilling… or unable to encroach further into the grey area where she stood, but even so, she kept her distance.

"Hello?" She asked, barely able to keep her voice from quivering.

"Who are you?" The darkness demanded.

Sakura just stared, bewildered and afraid.

"Who are you?!" The voice snarled again, sounding almost demonic. "You do not belong here! Go away, _**go away**_!"

The last words echoed loudly, deep and furious and it was enough to make Sakura scuttle away in fear. The darkness lashed out violently, sticky strings of black slapping and grabbing at the air. But every time it hit the grey area outside of the darkness, it hissed and steamed, recoiling in pain.

Sakura watched the darkness for a little bit. She had a sneaking suspicion that this was Obito… Trapped like Kagami had been.

"A-Are you Obito?" She whispered.

The darkness froze, wispy bits curling and roiling in surprise. "Who told you that name?" It whispered, angry and demanding. " _ **Who told you that name**_?!"

"No one!" Sakura cried. "I saw… In the images, the scenes-"

"My memories." The darkness hissed. "You saw them?!" It surged forward, only to be stopped in its tracks by the grey. It was almost like an invisible wall was forcing the darkness to stay back. "Who are you?!"

"Sakura." Sakura said, trying to calm her racing heart. "My name is Sakura."

"Who showed you?!"

"No one did!" Sakura insisted. "I saw them myself… They just played out." She waved a hand. "Kagami said-"

"Kagami?"

Sakura blinked. "Yes… He said… He said I had to help you, if I wanted to leave this place."

The darkness seemed to fold in on itself. "My brother…" It murmured. "My brothers… Rin… I failed them all." It didn't seem to be talking to her now, just talking to itself. "It's my fault… It's always my fault."

"Obito?" Sakura whispered, creeping forward a step.

The darkness didn't seem to hear her, still babbling to itself. Though now she couldn't understand a word of it. It was in some strange, ancient language that Sakura couldn't quite hear properly. It sounded like falling water, but also like cracking gravel and then nothing at all.

"Obito!" She called, frightened.

The darkness froze. For a long moment, it seemed to be watching her. Then, "You should not be here." It said. "You do not belong in a place like this, where there is no sun or life."

"I know I don't." Sakura said sharply. "That's why I'm going to get out."

"No one leaves this place." The darkness said, but nonetheless, it crept closer. "Even my brothers and I… We cannot leave."

"Kagami is free." Sakura blurted out. "I fixed his mirror and he said he would show me the way out but… but he didn't." Her courage seemed to fail when she remembered Kagami's eyes as she had fallen, sad and cold.

The darkness stopped roiling and writhing. "He is free?"

Sakura nodded. "He said… He said he couldn't let his brothers languish down here. He said I was supposed to free you."

The darkness drew back. "No." It said. "No. I cannot- I should not be allowed to… You must leave me here."

"But then I can't leave!" Sakura cried.

"I failed them!" The darkness roared, so anguished and broken that it stunned Sakura into silence. "I failed them all! I should have protected them, but I could not and now… Now my brothers lie trapped and Rin… Rin is dead."

Sakura gaped.

"I should have saved her from them, but I was too slow, too weak, too soft and she died because of it!"

"From who?" Sakura whispered.

" _ **Humanity**_." The darkness snarled. "They are and always have been a plague… And yet, Rin loved them. She called them misunderstood, insisted that they just needed time to come into their own. But her love for them did not stop them coveting her power or killing her when they were afraid." It hissed, thrashing in anger.

Sakura took a few steps back. The venom in its voice when it had proclaimed humans responsible for Rin's death. She had never heard hatred like that before.

"If I had been there, they would not even have had the chance to touch her." It growled. "They would have all died by my hand."

She didn't know what to say. What did you say to something like that? How did you respond to such anger and grief? Sakura didn't have the words… And any that she did think of seemed to trite and useless.

"But I was not there. And she died." The darkness roiled violently. "It was my fault!"

Before Sakura's eyes, the darkness coiled in on itself, drawing away from the invisible line that kept it from the grey. It receded away, back into itself.

As it went, Sakura thought she heard it crying.

"Obito!" She cried, "Wait, please!"

But the darkness that had been Obito just vanished further and further back into the darkening grey, until it blended with the blackness around it and she couldn't see it anymore.

He was her way out, he couldn't just leave!

Sakura set her jaw and shoved her fear of the unknown away, barrelling forward without another thought-

-and ran face first into a wall.

She fell on her ass with a loud thump, head ringing and thumping with pain. Rubbing her head, Sakura looked up, trying to see what she had run into. Nothing but greyness above her. Pushing herself back to standing, Sakura reached out and sure enough, where Obito's darkness had been contained, her fingers met a solid barrier.

She pressed harder, frowning when there was no give.

So Obito couldn't come out and she couldn't go in.

"Brilliant." She muttered. Craning her neck, she tried to see any movement in the blackness beyond the clear barrier, but there was nothing at all. "Obito? Obito!"

No answer.

"Obito!" She yelled, frustrated and at the end of her rope. "I can't come in there after you and I can't leave until you can, so goddammit, stop moping around and _help_ me!"

Nothing.

"Coward!" She yelled, frustration boiling over into tears. "Coward!"

The darkness remained still.

Sakura yelled until her voice gave out, trying to goad Obito into coming out, but he never did. She tried telling him that Rin wouldn't want him trapped here, wouldn't want him in pain and hurting. She tried to tell him that if he refused, his brothers would never leave either.

But he was steadfast in ignoring her.

Eventually, she sat down, defeated and simply stared at the darkness beyond the invisible barrier. Angry, she kicked the barrier once, twice, three times. "Stupid." She muttered.

"I am a coward." The darkness whispered. "I am."

Sakura sat up straight, and saw that Obito's pulsing, dark form had slithered forward. It lingered a little way from the barrier. It almost looked afraid. "I didn't mean that." She murmured.

"But it is true." The darkness murmured. "I was afraid. Rin was my life… She was so good, so bright and when she saw me for what I was, it hurt. I was afraid of her judgement and so I stayed away… And she died."

"But she wouldn't blame you for that!" Sakura insisted, crawling towards the barrier. "I didn't know Rin, only what I saw, but she loved you Obito. She would never blame you for her death. She just wanted you to be happy."

"I was happy with her."

Sakura didn't know how to respond to that. At first, when she had first started walking, all she had wanted to was leave. She just wanted to go home.

But seeing Obito and Rin, it had touched her heart. She knew Obito wasn't good, knew that he was dangerous, that all of this was, but it had seemed so human, his grief and love for Rin.

"Sakura…"

"Yes?" She looked up, not realising she had been lost in thought.

The darkness reached out tentatively. "Why are you here? Who sent you? Was it Rin?"

Sakura shook her head. "No one _sent_ me…" She said with a wry smile. "At least not willingly."

"You are not here of your own accord?" Obito asked.

Sighing, Sakura settled on her knees more comfortably. She looked up. "I was just here because my best friend asked me to come." She smiled, wondering if Ino was looking for her. "I wanted to stay and study… Get an early night's sleep for my job tomorrow. But Ino was so excited… How could I say no?"

"Your friend… Sent you down here?"

Mood souring, Sakura made a face. "The girl who… _sent_ me down here, she's not my friend. In fact, I think she might be crazy. She pushed me down a well, smiling like a loon." Looking at her knees, Sakura shrugged. "I thought we could've been friends."

"She pushed you?"

"She tricked me." Sakura said darkly. "That's been happening a lot lately…" She muttered, thinking of Kagami and his stupid, red eyes and his sweet smile. How gullible and stupid was she? Falling for the same trick twice.

"How?" The darkness asked, settling closer to the barrier, almost as if it was sitting.

"I thought she wanted to be my friend." Sakura said slowly. "She seemed so nice, you know, laughing and joking with me. And we had similar interests, looking at all the old artefacts in the mansion, talking about how stupid ghost hunting was." She sighed. "I really thought I had made a new friend."

"And then she tricked you down here?"

"She asked me to look at something. I did and then she pushed me down the well." Sakura rubbed her arm. "I thought I was going to die. Instead, I ended up in Kagami's room and well… Now I'm here."

"You are sad."

Sakura rubbed her eyes, trying to keep from crying. She didn't want any of this. She just wanted to go home and see her friends. She wanted to go to work, and learn from Lady Tsunade, to see her patients, and the dog down the street. "I think I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown, to be honest."

The darkness was quiet while she composed herself. She patted her cheeks firmly, sniffing and forcing the tears away with thoughts of her best friends, looking for her. It wouldn't help anyone if she was a crying, blubbering mess.

"But, enough about me." She said, putting on a brave face. "How about we figure out how to get you out, hm?"

The darkness coiled up. "Give me your hand." It demanded.

"What?" Sakura shook her head, bewildered. "The barrier, I can't come through it." She tried to explain, pressing her hand against the invisible barrier that separated them. But instead of meeting solid wall, her hand sunk through as if it was water.

"Never mind…" She whispered, watching her own arm in wonder. It was slightly distorted as it passed through the barrier.

And then a strand of inky darkness whipped up, snapping around her wrist tightly. It was freezing cold and Sakura gasped, automatically trying to pull away. It held fast, pinning her arm on the other side and Sakura felt a thrill of fear ripple down her spine.

"Obito-"

"I will not hurt you." The darkness murmured.

Sakura was horrified to see more strands of darkness wrapping around her hand. Soon, her wrist and hand were completely covered, and the darkness pulsed against her skin, cold and awful. It pressed against the barrier, barring her arm from sight completely.

"Show me." The darkness demanded.

Sakura gasped when her mind was flooded with images, memories.

 _Her_ memories.

Her mother, helping her with the bird that had flown into the window. Naruto and Ino, helping to set up the fundraiser at their middle school. Sakura's books, her job at the hat shop, laughing with her co-workers as they cleaned. Sakura at the gym. Sakura's volunteering at the hospital, Lady Tsunade, Shizune, listening to them, her notes. Kagami and his smile, her putting the shard back into the mirror, her bleeding hand.

They all flickered by, too fast for her to see them all.

And then it was over.

She slumped, panting and disoriented. "W-what did you do?" She gasped.

"A kind heart." The darkness whispered, still clutching her arm tightly.

It was almost numb with cold and loss of blood flow. Sakura looked up and squinted in confusion when she saw the darkness was receding, coiling in on itself. It hissed and rolled, but after a few moments, there was no more darkness.

Instead of her arm being trapped by it, she was holding the hand of an older, scarred Obito.

He was kneeling on the other side the barrier and there was a wicked scar across the right side of his face, the deep scars disappearing under his collar. Sakura blinked and then stared at her hand when Obito squeezed gently.

Still in shock and not quite sure what had just happened, Sakura stood up, pulling Obito with her. Her eyes flickered to his, and she saw him nod once.

So she pulled.

Her arm came back through the barrier, along with Obito's. She pulled harder when Obito seemed to get stuck. It felt like pulling him through jelly, but eventually, with a grunt of effort and all her muscles straining, Sakura pulled him out of the barrier.

She stumbled when it gave suddenly, but Obito's hand kept her upright.

Sakura straightened, letting Obito's hand drop. "You… What just happened?"

Obito smiled, looking down at his hands, turning them over and over as if he hadn't seen them in a long time. Sakura supposed that he hadn't, if he had spent a thousand years as a cloud of anger and angst. "I'm free." He murmured.

Sakura rubbed her arm, trying to warm it up. "I don't understand."

"You freed me, pulled me back to myself and made me see that Rin would want my happiness." Obito said with a smile, tilting his head back to bask in the grey light around them.

"And…" Sakura glanced at his face, wondering when it had happened. It was an awful looking thing, painful and red.

Obito touched the side of his face gently. "Penance." He murmured.

That made Sakura shudder in sympathy and horror. She suddenly did not want to know what else had happened to Obito after Rin's death. She had a feeling it would be awful and bloody.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of her laboured breathing and the rustling of Obito's clothes as he examined himself. Finally, he did speak.

"Thank you, Sakura." Obito said with a smile. It barely pulled up his lips on the scarred side of his face, but his eyes crinkled at the corners. "Rin _would_ want me to be happy…"

Sakura smiled. "Of course she would-"

"And I will be. Humanity will pay for her life with their own." Obito finished, smiling turning cruel.

Sakura's stomach dropped in horror and her smile faded as she realised what he was saying. She had thought… Obito's words, he had sounded like he had finally let go of Rin's death, had put it behind him. He had sounded so earnest, Sakura had been sure he was the gentle, sweet boy once again.

But all she had done was convince him that the only way to avenge Rin, to be happy, was to destroy humanity. He had twisted it all, tricked her into letting him out.

"No! No that's not what I meant! She wouldn't want you to hurt anyone- Obito, you told me she loved humans- she wouldn't want you to kill them!" She cried, nearly tripping over her words in her desperation to get them out. She grabbed his arm tightly, as if to prevent him from leaving.

"We would never hurt you, Sakura." Obito said, blinking at her distress. He smiled, obviously thinking it would reassure her.

It didn't. All it did was make Sakura's heart plummet to the floor.

"You can't hurt _anyone_!" Sakura cried. "Obito- Listen to me, Rin, she would want you to be happy, not hurting people! She loved humanity, remember? She loved us! She would want us to be safe, isn't that what she died for?!"

"It was that love that got her killed, Sakura." Obito said patiently. "And I will not let it happen again." He brushed a hand over the back of hers where she was clutching his arm.

Sakura didn't understand. "What are you talking about?" She whispered, confused and horrified.

What had she just done?

Obito smiled again. "You have to go but fear not. My brothers will not hurt you." His eyes spun red, like Kagami's had done, who knows how long ago.

"No, Obito, you have to promise me that you're not going to hurt anyon-" Sakura's words were lost when the ground beneath her gave way and she plummeted down again.

* * *

The next day, Kakashi came back from his mid-morning break to find a manila folder lying on his desk. Bribing Hayate with Genma's stash of lollipops seemed to have worked then. As soon as he skimmed over the little manila folder on his desk, Kakashi knew his hunch had been correct. Smug and satisfied, he snatched the folder from his desk and barged into Genma's office rudely.

"Kakashi-"

"It's a fucking occult symbol." Kakashi said, throwing the file with the results of Hayate's search in it.

Genma blinked, mouth closing.

Kakashi flipped open the file, jabbing a finger at the high gloss photo Hayate had printed out of the symbol, and then at the photo Kurenai had taken of the symbol on Ino's wrist. They matched, down to the swirl and colour. "Control." He said smugly.

" _What_?"

"It means control." Kakashi said slowly, as if Genma was stupid. Which, his partner was at the worst of times. He poked the picture a few times, and Genma leaned over the file curiously.

"Oh." Genma shoved Kakashi's hand away, picking up the flimsy manila folder with the explanation of the symbols, their origins, all that crap. "And…What does that have to do with anything?"

Kakashi said down in front of Genma's desk, propping his feet up on the dark wood. He ignored Genma's glare. "It's part of a pair." He said smugly, nodding at the file. "Wanna guess who has the pair for Ino's one?"

Genma looked at him darkly but flipped through the paper. He read, face getting darker and darker the more he read. Finally, he dropped the file on the desk again. It was open to the picture of the symbol that paired with the one on Ino's wrist, the one that Kakashi had seen on Sayaka's wrist.

"What the fuck is this?" Genma growled. "Master? Control- What the hell were these girls into?" He muttered. He looked up at Kakashi. "Master- This is definitely the one you saw on Sayaka's wrist?"

"You got it."

His partner took a deep breath. "I hate university students." He grumbled, throwing the folder back onto the desk.

"I told you they were dramatic." Kakashi said with a grin, pulling out one of the lollipops he'd nicked from Genma's secret stash in the locker room. "Looks like we might have to change this from missing persons to murder, darling."

"I don't have the patience for this shit." Genma said, snatching his phone off the desk and checking the time. "I'm going for lunch."

"It's only eleven!" Kakashi teased, sucking on the lollipop happily.

"You can't come." Genma said rudely, collecting his wallet and keys from the drawer in his desk.

Kakashi rocked back in the chair, before pushing himself upright. He trailed after his partner, cheek bulging from the lollipop in his mouth. "Why not? I'll buy you coffee." He wheedled with a grin.

"No you won't." Genma said with a glower, shoving open the front door of the station. Kakashi wandered out after him, a breezy wave at the secretary over his shoulder. "Stop smiling like that, you like a crazy perso- Do you hear that?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow when Genma stopped dead in his tracks, looking around. "No? Have you been taking drugs again, Genma, because as officers of the law I have to protes-"

"Shut up." Genma snapped, head swivelling upward. "I can't hear _anything_."

Kakashi blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Genma looked at him. "There are no birds singing."

Kakashi thought his partner was losing it but as he listened, he realised that it wasn't what he was hearing, but what he wasn't. Just like Genma had said, there were no birds singing and even the normally loud and rambunctious K9 holding kennels across the street were eerily silent.

Even the traffic in the street seemed strangely muffled. The air was hot and still, almost stifling, the breeze from earlier in the morning have dissipated completely.

It felt almost like the air itself was holding its breath.

"What the Hell... Fuck!" Genma yelped, stumbling and nearly falling when the Earth shook violently below them. Kakashi stumbled and fell against the wall of the station, one hand out to catch his partner. Several people screamed and the cars driving by all slammed on their brakes, skidding to a halt.

Unlike the first Earthquake the day before, this one lasted a full thirty seconds.

When it was over, Kakashi was staring at Genma, eyes wide. Like the first time it had happened, no one moved at all.

The whole city was silent.

And then everything exploded into noise at once. The dogs in the K9 kennels went nuts, howling and barking so loud it hurt Kakashi's ears. The birds in the trees began to scream, horribly high pitched screaming and all the car alarms in the street went off. In Kakashi's pocket and in Genma's hand, their phones went nuts, blaring nonsense and gibberish.

Kakashi hissed, covering his ears as the cacophony got louder. Several alarms in nearby shops went off as well and one of the cruisers parked in the street started blaring its siren out of nowhere, lights flashing and spinning.

Genma dropped his phone with a snarl and Kakashi saw that the slim black smartphone was sparking dangerously as it skidded across the ground.

Kakashi winced, eyes narrow with pain as the noise continued. Genma was staring at him, eyes wide and confused.

The sky behind the mountain flared blood red for a brief few seconds and Kakashi felt a chill run through him.

What the Hell was going on?

* * *

DUN DUN

Lololol - someone send help my face is trying to kill me.

So, i just wanted to make sure everyone understood, because Kagami was super mild and nice - the Uchiha are not good guys, they aren't misunderstood anti-heroes, they are just straight up bad, evil, naughty whatever you want to call it. They are not the good guys. I did try to make it so they were like misunderstood and them being locked down there was jealousy and I even played around with a like a cosmic balance type thing but in the end, having them be evil worked much better.

Also, yes, Sakura sleeps for like, 24hrs. LOOK OKAY, I FUCKED UP AND IT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD FIX IT.

I know I said that the rest of the chapters wouldn't be as long as chapter 2, but I had to write myself out of the plot hole I accidentally dug. I don't expect the chapters from here on out will be nearly this long (close to 10k), probably more like 5-7k.


	4. Day 4: Stagnant Water

You get a bit of clarification for all the questions in this chapter.

Also some... I guess fluff? I dunno, its as close to fluff as you're probably going to get.

Bit shorter than the others, but that's probably going to be the norm from now on. I'm in my last year of uni and I can't fail, I'm so close to finally graduating and becoming a full time hermit. You may get chapters at weird times, or inconsistently from now on since I'm also working a lot more and I'm doing a secondary course for some overseas work. Does anyone want to just... Give me money? You won't get anything in return, but...

Anyway, I do hope this chapter starts to answer some of your questions. Two of you have figured out what the tattoos are for, but not why they were there, so I'll hold off on explaining fully what they're for. It will all be answered so you will eventually understand, but I figure you'll start to get it by next chapter.

I will answer this - Sayaka works alone.

Anyhoo, I'll stop talking.

Enjoy!

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 4: Stagnant Water

Sakura plummeted.

And as she fell, desperately, automatically groping for the walls, for anything to hold on to, she wondered how many more times this would happen.

How many times would she have to fall before there was nowhere else to fall to?

Her fall was short this time. But her landing was far less pleasant that the others before it. Instead of landing in a bright white landscape, or appearing in a cozy bedroom, Sakura hit water.

Frigid water.

She shrieked, inhaling automatically and then choking on the water that hit the back of her throat. Thrashing, Sakura managed to fight her way to the surface. Gasping for air, Sakura felt the chill on her head from the freezing air above her.

She was floating in a giant cavern, the water around her dark and rippling with her landing. Sakura shivered at the numbing sensation in her fingers and toes already and knew she had to get out of the water and dry before she went into shock.

Spinning a circle, Sakura squinted in the poor light. There was little light to see by, only the dimmest, grey light filtering in from high above her.

Finally, she saw it.

A raised dais a little ways from her. Striking out with shivering limbs, Sakura paddled for the dais, wanting this whole thing to be over.

The stone dais was rough and slick with water, but it was solid and that was enough for Sakura. She pulled herself up onto it, bleeding palm scraping painfully over the rough stone. It made her hand sting, but it also helped to ground her.

Sakura curled up in a ball as soon as she was sitting on the dais. It wasn't large, maybe only two meters in diameter and the water lapped quietly at its sides, rippling with her landing. She let herself catch her breath for a moment before she slowly began to strip off her soaking clothes.

She couldn't stay in them, or she would get hypothermia and demons or no, Sakura couldn't survive that.

Her jacket she wrung out and then spread over the dais carefully, hoping the moisture wicking material might be able to dry. She stripped off her t-shirt next, wringing out the water from that too and then laying it next to her jacket. Her water logged shoes and socks were next.

Shivering, Sakura wrung out her hair as well and then tied it back into a bun, keeping it away from her neck. She had little to work with, no dry clothes or access to blankets, but she would do all she could to keep herself from going into shock.

She yanked off her leggings, wringing them out a few times before flapping them vigorously. She hoped that by moving her arms and legs, she could encourage the blood flow to continue moving. It seemed to help some, and the numbness in her toes and fingers started to dissipate.

It was still freezing, and she knew she had to get her clothes dry as quickly as she could and get them back on.

As she was flapping her t-shirt out as well, trying to encourage it to dry, she noticed that the water was still again.

Almost unnaturally so.

It should have still been rippling with all of her thrashing and splashing, but it wasn't. It wasn't lapping against the side of the dais. Instead it was still like glass, dark surface strangely alluring and beautiful.

A terrible thought occurred to Sakura.

What if there was something in the water? Obito had said that his brothers wouldn't hurt her, but what if he was lying? He and Kagami had made it very clear that they didn't have any qualms about lying to her.

How was she to know if whatever was lurking beneath the surface didn't mean her harm?

Sakura shivered and then sat down, rubbing her hands up and down over her arms and thighs, paying special attention to her feet. All the while, she watched the water warily, knowing her tiny dais wouldn't be enough to keep her from getting dragged in by some water monster.

She looked up, freezing and still damp, wishing for the bright whiteness and pleasant warmth of Obito's prison. At least up there she could see and wasn't about to die of hypothermia.

The sound of water moving made her stand up suddenly, craning her neck and heart pounding out a staccato rhythm against her ribs. In the distance, just outside the edges of where the faint like filtered, she could see ripples in the water as if something was moving.

"Hello?" She asked, trying to sound more confident than she actually was. It didn't come out that way, but shaky and thin.

"Hello." A male voice replied, light and full of mischief.

Sakura clung to her leggings. She was half naked with all of her clothes drying, only in her sports bra and the running shorts she had on under her leggings. It was freezing in here, and yet all she could focus on were the fact that the ripples in the water were disappearing before they hit her dais.

And a moment later, the water was still again.

"Who are you?" She demanded, pulling her leggings to her chest. They were slowly beginning to dry, the fabric only damp now from her vigorous shaking.

"It is rude not to offer you own name." The man said voice filled with amusement.

Sakura yanked on her damp leggings. If she was going to fight off some sort of tentacle hell beast, she sure as hell wasn't doing it in her booty shorts. She crouched quickly, patting her t-shirt. It was still wet as was her jacket and she knew if she put them back on, she'd risk lowering her body temperature more.

"Do you not have a name?" The man asked. He sounded genuinely curious at her silence and somewhere else in the cavern, water moved again, rippling and swishing gently.

"I do." Sakura responded, curling back into a ball on her little piece of dry land. She tucked her hands into the crooks of her bent knees and curled her toes under, trying to keep her chest warm. "My name is Sakura."

"Sa-ku-raaa." The man sang, surprisingly musical. "What a lovely name."

Sakura watched the water carefully, trying to figure out where he, it, was. But the ripples were coming from a completely different direction to the first ones. And all too soon, just like before, they vanished, leaving the dark water smooth and still.

"I am Shisui." The man said. "It is nice to meet you, Sakura."

"Where are you?"

There was a low chuckle, and it seemed very out of place in this dark, freezing cave. "I think we both know the answer to that." He said. Sakura could just hear the smile on his face. "Would it make you more comfortable if you could see me?"

Would it?

So far, Obito and Kagami had looked surprisingly human, with no horns or snarling teeth. Why would this… Shisui be any different?

"Are you going to eat me?"

Shisui let out a startled laugh. "I am not in the habit of eating pretty woman, you can rest assured, Sakura." He chuckled. "… Am I supposed to eat you?"

The question was so bewildered that it made Sakura giggle at the absurdity of it all. He sounded genuinely confused, and if it weren't for the fact that she was trapped, freezing cold and on the verge of hypothermia, she might have found it endearing.

"No." She said. "No, I'd rather not be eaten."

"Then I will not eat you." Shisui said, still sounding a bit nonplussed.

"In that case," Sakura said, rubbing her nose to stave off a sneeze. "Then yes, I would feel more comfortable if I could see what I was talking to."

"Your wish is my command." Shisui said, sounding immensely amused by the whole exchange.

The water a few meters from the dais rippled suddenly and Sakura craned her neck, trying to see what was under the surface. But the dark water was nearly impossible to see through and all she saw was swirls of dirt and silt.

Sakura squeaked and curled away from the white hand that had clamped around the edge of the dais. It was smooth, unlined and bone white. A moment later, a second hand followed it and then with a swish and the sound of falling water, she got her first look at Shisui.

He was pale as snow, with dark hair that fell over his forehead and cheekbones to die for. He looked very similar to Kagami, only with more masculine features and deeper set eyes. His eyes were closed, and Sakura squinted at the dark shadows around them.

Not shadows, but bruises, she realised. There was deep, painful looking bruising around both his eyes and when he turned his head slightly to shake his hair away from his face, Sakura saw that his eyelids were sunken in. It was then that Sakura realised he was blind… That he didn't have any eyes at all.

He was bare chested, skin seemingly impervious to the frigid air and water. He cocked his head, smiling at her as he folded his arms on the ledge. He let his chin drop onto his hands, still looking up at her.

"Hello." Shisui murmured.

* * *

Kakashi woke slowly, unsure of what had woken him. Groaning, he rolled onto his side, peering blearily at the alarm clock on his bedside table.

2:00

Huffing, Kakashi rolled back onto his back, shifting to get more comfortable.

Above him on the skylight, raindrops pattered down gently.

He tilted his head.

Rain?

At this time of the year? In the middle of winter? How strange.

The rain got heavier and heavier, until it was pelting down. It was soothing, listening to it hit the tiled roof and splash down onto the road below.

Kakashi fell asleep, the sound of rain in his ears.

* * *

"Hi." She whispered back, still horrified at the awful state of his eyes. Who would do such a horrible thing?

"You are curious." Shisui said. He was facing her, almost as if he could see her. "You can ask."

"Your…" Sakura reached out, as if to touch the side of his temple in sympathy. She had seen pictures of eye wounds in her textbooks and it was one of the few injuries that made her stomach churn with horror.

Shisui smiled. "My eyes?" He asked. "They are not very interesting, Sakura."

"But…" Sakura let her hand fall back into her lap.

"A jealous rival." Shisui said gently. "He tore them out, revenge he said, for a dying world. Dramatics from an old, bitter man."

Sakura winced in sympathy, cradling the side of her own face as she tried not to think about how painful it must have been to have your eyes ripped out. She wasn't doing a very good job.

"And then he cast me down here." Shisui shrugged, resting his cheek on his folded arms instead. "Uninteresting. What is interesting, is you."

Sakura shivered. There was a haunting resonance to his voice, deep and full. "I'm just a girl." She said weakly, trying not to stare at his sunken eyelids and bruised face.

"Exactly." Shisui said. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest about her staring, simply holding onto the dais like some undead merman. "How does a pretty girl like yourself end up in this horrible pit?"

"Pushed." Sakura said shortly. She was getting a bit sick of describing her awful trip down here and doing so only served to reignite her anger at Sayaka for getting her into this whole mess.

Shisui seemed to sense her anger, humming quietly. "Betrayal?"

"Something like that."

He sighed. "Then humans have not changed in our absence then?" He wondered, but Sakura got the distinct impression that he wasn't asking her so much as simply speaking aloud. "A shame. I am sure Itachi would say something about potential but being trapped down here has done little to endear me to your kind."

"My kind?" Sakura asked.

"Humans." Shisui hummed.

She already knew that whatever Kagami, Obito and now Shisui were, wasn't human. They spoke like old fashioned actors, with odd inflections and strange accents she hadn't heard before. Not to mention there was their strange eyes and the fact that they were supposedly over a thousand years old.

She had thought demons, ghosts, some sort of otherworldly creatures. But speaking to them, seeing Obito's memories, it made her think that they were something else altogether.

"You are very curious…" Shisui said, that little half smile returning to his lips.

Sakura looked at him in surprise. How had he known? "How did you…?"

Shisui tilted his head back and forth like a child with a secret would. "I can see." He said with a cheeky smile.

Sakura blinked at him. Had he just…

When she had gotten over his jab at his lack of sight, she wondered about his words. He had known she was curious about them… but how? He certainly couldn't see her face or expressions…

"You think too hard." Shisui admonished gently.

" _What are you_?!" Sakura demanded, sick of the riddles, the tricks, the double speak. She wanted to know what was going on, what and who she was letting out. But more than anything, she was just sick of being kept in the dark like a child. "What are you?"

Shisui looked at her with his sunken eyes and bruised face for a long time, silent and lips pressed together. Finally he raised one of his arms perpendicular to the dais and snapped his fingers. The sound was surprisingly loud in the cavern, echoing over and over.

But the sound was the last thing Sakura was focusing on.

Because when Shisui opened his palm, a galaxy was swirling there, bright and beautiful, the clouds of space dust shimmering in shades of gold and blue. She could see the twinkling and glinting of millions of stars, the slow spin of the galaxy.

It was beautiful.

"Oh wow." She breathed.

"My brothers and I… And the others like us, we existed long before humans and their stories." Shisui said quietly. His voice was soothing, almost lyrical. "We were and will be long after the last human takes their last breath."

Sakura struggled to understand. Everything had to have a beginning. There was no such thing as simply being. "So you're like… gods?" She asked, looking at him.

Shisui wasn't looking at her but staring instead at the little glowing galaxy he had created. "We have gone by many names, monster, god… None of them are incorrect." He said.

The galaxy and soft light it gave off disappeared when he closed his fist over it, crushing it out of existence. Sakura missed it immediately. It was so cold and dark down here, having something as beautiful as that little galaxy made it all seem much less awful.

It was so cold down here. And she didn't understand anything, how could there be no beginning to them? She had seen Obito as a child, the Uchiha had had a compound, a family- How was any of this- _None_ of it made sense.

Sakura jumped when icy fingers tipped up her chin. She looked up, shivering at the wet, freezing fingertips on her skin.

Shisui tilted his head. "You are thinking awfully hard there, Sakura."

She batted his hand away. "I don't get any of this!" She hissed. "Why can't you just let me out if you're some sort of ever-present god thing? Why do _I_ have to let you out!? What kind of god lets themselves get trapped in a stupid mountain?!" She lashed out at him with a hand without thinking and he had to shove away from the rock to avoid being smacked in the face.

She clutched her shirt to herself, raw, stressed and exhausted and freezing. "Let me go _home_!" She demanded. "Now!"

Shisui floated a little ways from the dais, face blank.

The cavern was silent for a long time and as Sakura's heart began to slow and her senses returned, she realised what she had just done.

Even if Obito had said none of his brothers would hurt her… She had still just tried to hit Shisui. If he was as old and powerful as she imagined, what would he do to her?

"I'm sorry." She whispered, holding her shirt higher. It wouldn't do anything, but it made her feel just the tiniest bit better. "I didn't mean to…"

"Kagami should have explained." Shisui said, drifting a little closer, the water barely moving around him. "You are frightened, I understand."

"Explained what?" Sakura asked, close to tears. Her teeth chattered in the frigid air and she knew she was dangerously close to hypothermia, but for some reason she didn't care. Her shirt was nearly dry, but it was cold to the touch, almost as cold as Shisui's skin had been.

He waited patiently while she put it back on and shrugged back into her minimally damp jacket. It was freezing, but she barely felt the cold fabric on her frigid skin. She curled back into a ball immediately, trying to calm herself down.

* * *

"I thought you two were friends. I mean, at least by these photos you look like friends." Kakashi asked, voice like acid as he slid his phone across the table to Ino. "Look at the two of you, smiling and happy."

"We are friends!" Ino cried, picking up the phone. "Sakura is my best friend! I wouldn't hurt her!"

"And yet you have an occult symbol tattooed onto your arm." Kakashi said sharply. "Sayaka has one too. So what was it? You two girls were wanting to prove the old ghost stories true? Meet a little demon beastie? So you lured Sakura up there and killed her to summon some sort of ghost, and when it didn't work, you panicked and got rid of the body."

Ino's eyes went huge. "K-kill?" She whispered, going so white she was nearly translucent. She shook her head jerkily. "No, no, no, I didn't-"

"Ino, you have to know how this looks. Two girls with the symbols of the occult on their arm and a missing friend?" Genma interjected, voice a little gentler than Kakashi's. "Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Ino sobbed. "I don't know! Sayaka told me it was henna, she said the white would look cooler, I didn't know it was an occult symbol, I swear I didn't!"

"So you didn't know." Kakashi said, rolling his eyes skeptically. "You, the girl who's obsessed with ghost stories and everything paranormal, you just didn't know it was an occult symbol? Really? You expect us to believe that?"

"Yes!" Ino said desperately, clutching the phone with white knuckled hands. "Sakura is my best friend, I would never hurt her! I just wanted to help her relax a bit…" Her eyes filled with tears. "I just want her to _come home_!"

"Just tell us what happened." Genma said. "Was it an accident Ino? Did you just want to frighten her? Get her to believe in all the stuff you do?"

"No!" Ino said desperately. Her voice cracked, and tears streamed down her face. "I just wanted her to have some fun, she's always studying and working, and I was afraid she was going to burn herself out-" She swallowed hard. "I just thought she would enjoy it." She whispered.

Genma sighed, sitting back in his chair. He glanced at Kakashi. They had been at this for hours, ever since Ino and Sayaka had arrived at the station for more questioning. So far, Ino had stuck to her story.

"So the occult symbol, that was just a what? A lucky coincidence?" Kakashi said, folding his arms.

Ino scrubbed at her face. "Sayaka said it would be cool, she told me it was just a new design! She bought the ink and everything! She said it was best friends and good luck!"

Good luck?

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "So it was all Sayaka's idea?"

"Yes! She told me it would look cool!" Ino insisted.

"Well that's funny, because Sayaka told my colleagues that this was your idea and that you're the one who brought the ink." Genma said, lying through his teeth.

Ino looked startled and then confused. "No, I didn't! I don't even know about this stuff- It's, I just, the girls on Instagram, they all have it, I thought it was cool." She babbled urgently, looking closer and closer to a breakdown. "I didn't have anything to do with this!"

Genma sighed, flipping the file shut. "Go through what happened with me, one more time."

Ino sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "We got to the compound, and when we went inside, there was this like, growling? I don't know, it sounded like a big dog or something…" She shook her head. "Naruto and I wanted to go find it, b-but Sakura thought it was stupid-"

Kakashi closed his eyes when she burst into tears again.

They waited until she'd regained a little of her composure.

"S-she and Sayaka, they stayed downstairs, I dunno, they wanted to look for the old stuff." Ino blubbered. "We were upstairs, and then we heard this screaming- it was really really faint. At first I thought it was coming from Naruto's radio but… by the time we got downstairs, Sayaka was crying and saying something about Sakura running away."

She shrugged, curling her arms around herself in a tight hug. "We looked _everywhere_ for her. She was just gone though…" She whispered.

Genma sat back, face blank.

There was a sharp rap on the two mirror and Kakashi knew that Ino's parent's lawyer had shown up finally. Looked like their questioning was done, not that they'd even gotten anything useful out of it anyway.

Ino had been steadfast in her story. None of her details had changed, not once in the hours they'd spent questioning her.

When he pulled open the door, he was greeted by a sly smile and catlike green eyes.

"Well, Detective Hatake." Mei Terumi, one of the cities best, and most vicious lawyers, purred. She lifted her briefcase, dressed in an impeccable blue pantsuit. "Walking on thin ice there, questioning my client without me present."

Behind him, Genma made a strange choking noise.

"Ms. Terumi." He said blandly. "We were just having a chat."

She smiled thinly. "I'm sure you were, now, if you don't mind?"

Kakashi let her pass and Genma scrambled out of her way, clutching the folder like a Victorian woman might clutch her pearls. Rolling his eyes before his partner could embarrass himself even further, Kakashi grabbed his idiot partner by the collar and dragged him from the room as Mei sat down next to a crying Ino.

"Well done, Shiranui. Looked like a little kid who'd wet the bed." Asuma taunted as they walked into the room adjacent to the interrogation room.

Genma scowled, shoving Kakashi away and burying his face in the file, cheeks pink.

"Well?" Kakashi asked. The little room was cluttered with the Chief and Kurenai and Asuma, who had been questioning Sayaka in another room. Alongside the chief, the DA, Ibiki Morino was standing, arms folded. "Do we have anything at all?"

"Sayaka's lawyer showed up – Fucking Samui of all people." Asuma said, shaking his head.

Genma whistled. Samui Yono was one of the best defence lawyers in the city, and her prices weren't cheap, which meant that Sayaka's family had money to burn.

It also made things more difficult. Samui was notoriously protective of her clients and she was wily, able to stonewall investigations at every turn.

"You get _anything_ out of her?" Genma asked.

Kurenai shook her head. "Girl's a sphinx. Parroted off some story about Sakura pushing her over and then clammed up until Yono showed up." She said shortly, obviously frustrated.

For a moment, the room was silent, the only sound the bustling outside in the station and the ever present rain on the roof.

"So we have two girls, both of which are claiming they know nothing about Sakura's disappearance." Kakashi said blandly. "We have nothing to go on, no physical evidence, no circumstantial evidence. Nothing."

"She could have just run away." Asuma suggested weakly.

"We ruled that out." Genma countered. "We spoke to her friends, her parents, her teachers, her employer, Sakura didn't seem the type."

"Besides, the occult symbols make it clear that something happened here." Kakashi continued. "What we need, is to search their rooms, computers, search histories. If we can find out whichever one of them knew what the symbols meant, we can focus our investigation."

"You think I'll get those warrants with Yono and Terumi in my way?" Chief Nara said lowly, speaking for the first time since he and Genma had entered. "They'll claim its just an argument between friends, that the girl ran away. We aren't getting those warrants."

"You might be able to work Ino." Morino rumbled. "She was the closest to Sakura, she might crack."

"Terumi's a shark, she'll pounce on us if we go near that girl without a warrant." Genma said, shaking his head.

"It's the only shot we have." Chief Nara sighed. "Morino, Hatake, get in there and try and convince Ino to let us look at her phone. Sayaka's gone, and Yono'll eat us all alive if we try anything. Ino might convince Terumi to back down."

Kakashi looked at Genma. His partner shrugged, leaning against the table and folding his arms. Kakashi disliked working without his partner and given Morino's short temper and penchant for stinging words, he didn't relish working with the prickly attorney.

"Are you coming Hatake, or you just going to stand there like some ugly statue?" Morino boomed, striding out of the room.

Kakashi sighed but followed him anyway.

"Ah, Ibiki!" Mei greeted, smiling widely. "How are you, lovely?"

Kakashi wasn't surprised the two got on. They were both vicious, bullheaded lawyers. Of course they got on.

"Mei." Morino rumbled, yanking out one of the chairs and sitting down. "And I would be better if there wasn't a missing university student out there."

Kakashi saw Ino flinch.

"Now, Ibiki, honey, Ino had nothing to do with that. And we do have to talk about your officers detaining and questioning her for so long without me present." Mei said smoothly, putting a hand on Ino's back. "Really quite unbecoming."

"Nothing illegal, Ino agreed to it." Kakashi said.

Mei smiled at him patronisingly and Kakashi remembered why he hated lawyers so much. Condescending bastards, the lot of them.

"That aside, we have an active missing persons case." Morino said, folding his massive arms and leaning back. "And Ino was there the night it happened."

"And as she's already told you, she had nothing to do with it." Mei countered. "Is there an arrest warrant?"

"No."

"Then we are free to leave." Mei said, rising lithely. She really was beautiful, but it was what made her so damn dangerous in court. She was beautiful, disarmingly so, and she knew it and used it to her advantage, pouncing on unsuspecting defendants like a shark that smelled blood. She was equal parts terrifying and awe inspiring. "Ino?"

Ino rose unsteadily, eyes red and cheeks pale.

As they started to leave, Kakashi called out to Ino. "You wanted to find Sakura, right? You would do anything for her, she's your best friend, isn't she?"

Ino froze, eyes wide and pleading.

Mei's face was like ice, her eyes burning with anger at Kakashi's ploy. "Hatake-"

"Let us look at your phone and laptop." Kakashi bargained. "If you didn't know it was an occult symbol, we'll be able to prove it."

Ino looked at Mei, long hair mussed from running her fingers through it.

"Ino, sweetie, don't listen to him."

"Will it help?" Ino asked, voice very small. She sounded like a child, asking if she was in trouble and it did make Kakashi feel bad for manipulating her so cruelly.

"We can't say that for sure." Morino interrupted.

Ino played with her hands. "I just want Sakura to come back." She whispered. "You can look at anything you want, my room, my stuff- I didn't know this was an occult symbol, I didn't!"

Mei inhaled sharply, jaw working as she glared daggers at Kakashi.

"Is that permission, Ms. Yamanaka?" Morino pressed.

Ino nodded. "You can look at my stuff, I don't care, I don't have anything to hide." She said firmly. And for the first time since he had met her, Kakashi saw determination in her eyes.

* * *

"There is a price." Shisui began. "A price my brothers and I cannot pay. When we were sealed away, the family who did it ensured that the only way to free us would be for the kindest of hearts to pay the price for us."

Kindest of hearts?

That was what Kagami had said.

"They assumed that no kind hearted soul would ever venture here, because if a kind person knew what atrocities we were… they would never come, it would go against their nature." Shisui continued, drifting a little closer.

"I'm not…" Sakura spluttered, trying to make sense of his words. She couldn't be… She was kind yes, but there were times where she hadn't been, where she had been cruel and selfish and walked past a person in need or said something cruel without thinking-

"You feel guilt for those things." Shisui said quietly. He put a hand back on the stone dais, pulling himself back onto it. He folded his arms over the dark rock, again resting his check against them in a pose that was far more charming than it had the right to be.

Sakura's head snapped up. "How did you-"

"I can see." He murmured with that little half smile.

Looking down, Sakura began to feel cold for an entirely different reason. She looked at her palms, seeing the dark slash across her right hand, the scrapes on the tips of her fingers. "W-what did I give?" She whispered, horrified and afraid of what the answer might be.

Kagami and Obito had both tricked her… What if their price for their freedom was her own? What if it was her life or the life of someone else?

She didn't know what she would do if someone else had to pay for her…

Shisui's cold fingers wrapped around her hand, carefully, gently unwinding the tight fist she had made. His fingers were damp and almost icy to the touch. She watched him, lips parted and no words in her head.

"Blood." Shisui murmured, tracing a finger up her palm. He stopped just over her pulse, tapping the sensitive skin of her wrist there a few twice. "Hope."

 _Hope_? Blood she understood, she had cut her hand on the shard of mirror after all. But hope? What on Earth did that mean?

Shisui hummed some sort of tune, cold hand making her shiver. "My eldest brother would call you a rare woman."

Sakura yanked her hand away.

Shisui didn't seem bothered by her sudden movement, still humming that tune under his breath. It sounded sweet, light, playful, almost like a lullaby.

"So then…" Sakura eyed him warily, his empty and sunken eye sockets suddenly more haunting than ever. "What… What do I have to give for you?"

Shisui stopped humming, a mischievous, cheeky smile appearing on his lips.

That smile didn't relax her any.

"A kiss." He said, voice full of laughter.

Sakura gaped at him, unable to fully comprehend what he had just said. _A… Kiss_? Surely he was joking right? Why- How would a kiss free him? Sakura didn't understand at all, and by the grin on Shisui's face, he found her confusion rather funny.

"Just one." He said.

"What- A kiss?!" She hissed incredulously, feeling embarrassed. "Stop joking around!"

He tilted his head. "Would I joke about something like that, Sakura?" He asked, jerking his chin at the dark, freezing cavern and the water that filled it.

Sakura spluttered, without words. "Well I don't know, maybe!?"

His smiled faded into an expression of seriousness. "I do not wish to linger in this _place_ ," the word was filled with so much venom and hatred, it was surprising, "any longer than I have to."

Sakura drew back from a little, Obito's dark promise to destroy humanity ringing loud in her mind. Could she let another one of them out, knowing what she did? They were… gods, monsters, beings with no beginning and already, one of them was out to destroy people she, as a medical student, was sworn to protect.

"Sakura?"

She looked at her hands, the bloody gash that hadn't even begun to heal. "If I let you out…" She murmured. "Will you hurt anyone?"

Shisui tilted his head.

She took a deep breath. Could she resign herself to dying down here if it meant that whatever Shisui and his brothers were, never got out? Obito was already free and she was terrified at the implications of his words.

What if the others were like that as well?

"No, Sakura." Shisui said gently. "I will not."

Her head snapped up.

Shisui smiled at her kindly, again resting his chin on his folded hands. he looked like some sort of undead model, with his slicked back dark hair and bold features.

"You promise?" She asked, hating the way her voice quivered and shook. But she had to make sure.

He nodded. "I promise."

Sakura searched his face for any sign of a lie, but he was earnest. She looked down, taking another deep, calming breath. "Just one kiss, right?"

"Am I really so repulsive that the very thought of kissing me disgusts you?" He asked, tone jovial and bright. "Yes Sakura, just one."

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics. He was so different from Obito and even Kagami. If they had met under different circumstances, and he wasn't… whatever he was, she might have found him funny.

Shisui pushed himself up, propping himself up on the dais and dragging his torso from the water. He was bare chested, corded muscle thickening his arms and chest. Sakura half expected a scaly tail to join his waist, but instead she caught a glimpse of dark pants.

"Wait!" She cried, pulling away.

Shisui made a strangled noise, nearly slipping as she moved away. Sakura felt a bit bad, but he just laughed.

She avoided looking at him, yanking on her shoes for lack of anything better to do. What was she doing? Kissing some sort of undead merman god thing? She had read fairytales and she knew it never ended well for the maiden in those stories.

"Are you ready?" Shisui asked, voice full and laughing.

Sakura fiddled with her laces and then nodded.

His hand was cold when he raised it to curl around the side of her neck. She leaned in carefully, bracing herself on her palms. A part of her was still afraid he'd drag her into the water and drown her.

But another part trusted him.

His lips were cold and wet, but he was gentle. He tilted his head and Sakura squeaked, half pulling away when his lips parted, and his tongue pressed against her own.

Hesitantly, she let her own lips part and she felt his tongue swipe against her own. She could feel his smiling against her lips, obviously amused by her nervousness.

Shisui's fingers tightened in her hair as he pulled her head to the side a little more. And then, he inhaled sharply.

And just like that, Sakura felt the air rush out of her lungs. It was a choking, terrifying feeling as all of the air was sucked out of her. Her chest ached, and her heart pounded furiously in terror. He was literally taking her breath away.

But then it was over, in less than a second.

Shisui pulled away and she nearly collapsed, almost winded and her heart thundering in her ears. He held her up easily, whispering an apology as she sucked in air greedily. She purposefully scraped her fingers against the rock, trying to ground herself.

It took her a few minutes to calm down.

"I thought you might protest if you knew what I really had to take." Shisui murmured, letting her sit up and pushing away to give her a little space. "I am sorry for the subterfuge." He settled back into the water with a quiet ripple.

Sakura rubbed her chest a few times, still a little on edge. "Don't do that again." She whispered.

"I will not." Shisui smiled at her, ducking his head to get a better look at her face. "Are you alright now?"

She nodded, heart settling into a more normal pattern. "I think so."

"Good, because I need to get out of the water." Shisui said, voice tinged with excitement and amusement.

"What-"

From deep below her, there was a deep boom, like the sound of something heavy shifting.

* * *

"Anything Hayate?" Kakashi asked lazily, tossing the stress ball he had nicked off Genma's desk, up and down. He wanted to see what would happen if he got it to hit the fan circling lazily above them.

"No." Hayate said shortly.

"What about now?"

There was a bang and Kakashi looked over to see the IT expert glaring at him, eyes rimmed by dark circles. "For the fifth time, Hatake, no. The result hasn't changed in the last ten minutes. When I know something, you'll know something." He snapped.

Kakashi caught the ball. "Tetchy." He said, rising from the chair. If he pushed Hayate even more, the IT expert was liable to blab to Genma about who'd told him where to find the stash of lollipops. And Kakashi didn't need his paranoid partner on his back about that.

"Go away."

He fought the urge to throw the ball at Hayate's head. Instead, he ambled out of Hayate's cluttered office. He was bored.

After Ino had been whisked away by a fuming Mei, Kakashi had been relegated to desk work. And there was piles of desk work to do, but Kakashi didn't plan on doing any of it.

He wandered through the station, sidestepping anyone who looked like they might palm something off on him. It was busy today, what with the rain scuppering plans and forcing most of the detectives inside.

Kakashi wondered at the rain, staring out the window. It had been raining all day. Heavy, cold rain that soaked you in seconds. It was unseasonably early. It was also strangely consistent, not once, in the hours it had been falling, it hadn't eased in the slightest.

If this kept up much longer, the Naka river would flood.

But it just kept falling, rendering the world outside wet and grey, the sky above swirling with dark rain clouds that made it feel much later than the three thirty it was.

The station was busy, petty criminals being books by the green recruits, a few of the more senior constables standing by a table drinking coffee. Most of the detectives were working on other cases, squirrelled away in their offices.

Even Genma was tucked in a desk, writing furiously.

Kakashi bounced the stress ball off his partner's head as a greeting.

Genma glared at him. "Were you dropped on your head as a child?" He snapped.

"No."

His partner snatched the ball away from Kakashi, glowering. "Go do some work." He growled. "And stop telling people where my lollipops are."

Kakashi threw himself into an empty wheelie chair. "You need better hiding spots." He said blithely. There was silence for a few minutes as Genma went back to writing. "How'd the conversation with the parents go?"

Genma sighed.

"That bad?"

"They're driving up." Genma said quietly. "It didn't… Well they reacted like any parent would. They want to know where their daughter is."

"That's what I want to know." Kakashi mumbled. "Hayate has nothing on Ino's computer or phone, but he's doing a search of deleted files. Could take a while."

Genma stopped writing, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"What?"

"Just…"

Kakashi leaned over the desk, flicking his partner in the forehead. "What?"

Genma looked distressed. "You don't think they killed her do you?"

Kakashi blinked. He hadn't even really considered the possibility that Sakura was dead. Of course, logically, he knew it was possible, but he hadn't really thought about it at all. he had just sort of gone on the assumption that she was alive. "I…"

Genma picked up whatever he had been working on. It was the report from the preliminary team that had gone over the compound after Sakura's disappearance had been called in. "There's a well in the basement." He said. "They didn't search it because they were looking for a missing girl, not a dead one."

His partner looked grim as he flipped the page. "Sayaka told us, in her very first interview, that Sakura asked her if she thought the Uchiha ever sacrificed anyone." He said, pointing at the transcript. "Now that we know that Sayaka is into the occult… You have to wonder, was _she_ the one who asked Sakura that?"

Kakashi felt cold.

* * *

Sakura squeaked, scrambling upright in shock. Next to her, Shisui hauled himself out of the water with frustrating ease. He was barefoot, in dark pants, the legs tattered and torn.

"What's going on?" She demanded, creeping away from the edge of dais and looking up at Shisui. He was tall, almost as tall as Obito. "What's happening?"

There was a high pitched crack and Sakura yelped, covering her head when a rock the size of a car into the water a few meters away from them, splattering them both with freezing water. The water below them hissed and roiled, and deep in the mountain, there was a low groaning.

"We are safe here." Shisui murmured, tugging her back by the elbow. He smiled down at her comfortingly. "It is draining."

Draining?

Sakura looked down, crowded close to Shisui as the water slapped at the dais.

Where though? Where could it be going? Further into the mountain? Out of the mountain?

It took several minutes, but finally, the water was gone and instead of standing on a dais a few scant centimetres out of the water, they were standing on a pillar, high off the cavern floor. The cave was so deep that Sakura couldn't even see the bottom, even when she strained her eyes.

For a moment, they just stood there. Shisui was still looking at the ceiling, but Sakura was more afraid of falling off the pillar and being splattered on the floor below.

Then the pillar under them jerked and with a harsh scraping noise, began to move, lowering into the ground. Sakura squealed, nearly toppling over in fright and struggling to regain her balance. Shisui snatched her by the arm, tugging her back into him so she didn't fall.

She clung to him, heart racing and eyes wide as the pillar rumbled downwards, slowly, slowly.

Finally, it stopped, and Sakura had to strain her eyes to see even a little in front of her face. The light didn't filter down here, it was so dark.

"This way." Shisui said, tugging her wrist. She stumbled after him, but he was patient, guiding her off the dais with deft movements.

He led her over to a wall, Sakura almost blind in the near darkness. She could only see a little, the outline of his arm, the line of his pale shoulder and neck, other giant pillars that stretched high into the cave above them.

They came to the wall of the cave a few minutes later, worn smooth by years of water and time. It was cold to touch, slippery and wet from the water. It almost felt like the rose quartz hearts her mother kept in the living room.

Shisui hummed a tune to himself, happy and jaunty and then Sakura saw him raise his free hand and draw something in the air.

The rock in front of him split and cracked with a sharp snap. Sakura squeaked and skittered away, half hiding behind his broad back. She heard the sound of small rocks hitting the ground, saw a slight puff of dust from the rock as it moved apart, leaving a yawning dark tunnel behind.

She peeked out from behind Shisui nervously, half expecting something to leap out and eat them.

But there was nothing.

"This will take you to my brother." Shisui said, looking down at her with those eyeless eyelids.

"Down there?" Sakura asked, hanging back from the dark opening in the rock face. It was pitch black in there and she had no way of knowing if it was even the right way – what if she got lost and died stumbling around in the darkness? Or what if it narrowed and she got stuck and suffocate-

"Stop thinking so much." Shisui teased, poking her in the side of the head.

Sakura batted his hand away. "I can't, p-please, just take me back up with you." She pleaded.

She was sick of the cold and the dark. She wanted light and warm, and sunshine and warm covers.

"I cannot."

"Why not?" She whined, aware she sounded like a child.

Shisui smiled sadly, eyes still closed, but crinkling at the corners nonetheless. "There are just three more." He said, letting go of her hand and backing away a step. She could barely see him in the darkness of the cavern, and she groped for him automatically, terrified at the thought of being alone down here.

"Shisui, please." She begged.

There was a scraping sound and then a moment later, a flare of white light.

Shisui was standing a little ways from her, almost ghostly in the white light coming from his hands. The bruises around his eyes were thrown into sharp relief, dark and awful in the light. They looked so painful. His hair was starting to dry into wavy strands.

He had his hands cupped under his chin and the light seemed to be emanating from his hands.

"Here." He murmured, taking a step toward her and showing her what he had in his hands.

It was a little rock, glowing brightly, doing its best to banish the darkness around them.

"It will light the way." He said, lips turning up in a smile. He looked so young and hopeful in the light, smile on his face.

Sakura held out her hands at his gesture and he tipped the little rock into her hands. It was warm, only a little, but it was enough to make Sakura sigh.

"It will dim the closer you get to my brother." Shisui said, curling her fingers around the rock protectively. He nodded at her. "I cannot take you up with me, but we will meet again Sakura."

And then, with a whisper of wind, he was gone.

Sakura clutched her rock tightly, clinging to the light that came from it. The cavern was giant, and empty and terrifying, so with one last steadying breath, she turned and walked through the tunnel Shisui had opened.

* * *

"Excuse me?"

Kakashi stopped trying to murder the vending machine for eating his money and turned around, uninterested in whatever civilian problem he had to deal with now. He was hungry, it was like 7pm and he just wanted to go home.

A young man was standing behind him, a dripping umbrella in one hand and a half smile on his face. He was dressed in all black, contrasting sharply with his pale skin.

"What can I do for you?" Kakashi said lazily.

The man held out a battered rose pink iPhone. "I found this." He said. "I'm not sure where else to take it."

A lost iPhone. For God's sake.

Kakashi heaved a sigh, putting on his customer face, as Genma called it. "Well I'm sure the owner is looking hard for it. I'll put it in our lost and found."

The man's smile widened. He was rather short, half a head shorter than Kakashi and very slender. He looked maybe twenty, twenty one. He handed Kakashi the phone, shaking out his umbrella as he did so. "Thank you, I just want to make sure they get it back." He said.

Kakashi wondered at his odd accent. He didn't sound like he was from Konoha, words much too stilted and sharp for the usual Konoha drawl. "Well, we'll do our best." He said as sincerely as he could muster.

Which, wasn't very sincere at all. Genma was always better at that crap.

The man thanked him once more before walking away, back towards the door of the station. As he went, Kakashi saw a little red and white fan sewn onto the collar of his black shirt.

Rolling his eyes at his time being wasted, Kakashi turned back to the vending machine. He looked down at the phone in his hands, wondering why people didn't just try and find the owner themselves. Wasting the time of police officers… Honestly.

It was in pitiful shape, the screen shattered beyond repair and the metal back casing dented and scuffed to the point of destruction. It looked like it had been treated terribly. He'd be surprised if it even still worked.

Out of curiosity, Kakashi pressed the home button on the battered iPhone. He didn't expect it to work, especially given how beaten up it was. But it did.

And on the lock screen, Sakura Haruno, Naruto and Ino beamed up at him, their faces distorted by the cracks splitting the glass.

His heart damn near stopped and then he spun on his heel, chasing after the man who had just given him the phone.

He burst out onto the wet street, suddenly uncaring that he was getting pelted by the rain.

There was no sign of the young man on the empty street. A few cars drove by, windscreen wipers working furiously.

Overhead, the rain was relentless. Kakashi looked down at the phone and then turned to go back inside. Maybe he would steal Genma's spare set of clothes.

As he was pulling open the station door, there was a thunderous crack from the heavens, so loud it rattled the windows and set off a car alarm a street over. He ducked automatically, and then looked up, just in time to see a jagged line of lightning shoot across the dark storm clouds.

It was red.

* * *

Shisui is a liaaaaaaaaaaaaar.

Sasuke is up next, and yes, like you all guessed, Madara is the big bad and he's lucky (or unlucky) last. Which means Itachi comes after Sasuke. Poor Sakura, she just doesn't get a break.

Also before you all ask, the man at the end – Kagami. I wonder how he got Sakura's phone, hm?

Hope you all enjoyed. Please leave a review and thank you for reading!


	5. Day 5: Consume

Sasuke is quite cruel to Sakura in this, just be aware, and its not as fluffy as I had hoped it would be. I really, really struggled writing this, because I wanted to show Sasuke as he is as an adult, but there wasn't enough time to develop that properly. So you do see parts of it, but it will emerge more later on. I can promise some proper SasuSaku interactions next chapter.

Also, sorry this is late but the Beauty Community exploded last week and I've been watching all the drama unfold. I don't even subscribe to any of the people involved, but god is it entertaining. I'm living for all this tea, lordy.

Anyway, please enjoy.

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 5: Consume

Sakura shivered, clutching the stone tightly as she stumbled along the tunnel Shisui had created. The stone glowed brightly, cheerily, lighting up the jagged walls and the rocks scattered over the ground. It was still warm in her hand and she focused on that heat, trying to ignore how cold she was.

She kept glancing over her shoulder nervously, worried that something would leap out of the darkness and knock her down and drag her away.

But nothing ever did.

Even so, the darkness was awful and almost physical.

She wished Shisui had come with her. Or that he would have just taken her up with him. She hated the dark, she wanted to see the sun again.

But she knew if she stopped, she wouldn't start again. If she sat down, she knew she wouldn't get back up.

She kept walking, stumbling sometimes when the pebbles and rocks below her feet shifted or slipped.

As Sakura walked, she occasionally heard things shifting or falling behind her. Every time she looked over her shoulder, there was nothing but solid darkness, and she shivered, her mind starting to conjure images of monsters and ghouls lurking in the darkness.

Her little rock was warm in her hand, glowing and banishing the darkness.

But it couldn't make her mind settle down. Sakura knew that there wasn't anything in the tunnel with her… or at least she hoped there wasn't.

All she could do was keep walking and telling herself that the noises behind her were just her ears playing tricks on her.

She walked for what seemed liked hours. And as she did, she found that it was slowly growing warmer and warmer, enough that her still slightly damp clothes started to dry. The coldness that had seized her limbs ever since she had fallen into Shisui's pool, slowly started to ease, bringing feeling back into her hands and toes.

Shaking out her hands, Sakura was grateful for the warmer temperature.

The rock continued to glow steadily in her hand and she was even more thankful for its little light. It was cheery and bright, lighting up the walls. It almost seemed like an old friend, steadfast and unwavering.

It didn't seem to have dimmed any, and Shisui had said it would start to when she got close to his brother.

So she forged on.

* * *

"And you just let him walk away?!" Chief Nara roared, slamming his hands on his desk with a loud bang. "You, a detective, just let a civilian hand you a phone and _you just let him walk out, no report, nothing?!_ "

Genma cringed, covering his face with his hand and slipping lower in his chair.

Kakashi wasn't sure why Genma was cringing. After all, it wasn't him that was being chewed out by a furious Shikaku Nara. "Chief, I didn't know the significance of the phone-"

"Are you, or are you not a police officer, Hatake?" Chief Nara hissed. He snatched a sheaf of paper off his desk, shaking it violently. "We got shit all from Ino's electronics, no occult, no mentions of sacrifices, _nothing_. And then we get a break and you just let a potential witness walk away."

Kakashi looked down.

He had dropped the ball, he knew that.

There were protocols to be followed, reports to be made when a lost item was brought in. He hadn't done any of it.

He was tired, this case had just taken it out of him.

"I fucked up." He admitted.

"You're damn fucking right you did." Chief Nara said, throwing the papers at the desk angrily. He straightened, face thunderous. "He could have been an accomplice, he could have seen something but now we can't question him because you let him walk out of the station after handing you a critical piece of evidence."

Genma peered up at Kakashi, obviously feeling bad for him. "The phone could still be useful."

"It's in pretty bad shape." Hayate piped up from the corner of the room where he was fiddling with something. "I wouldn't hold my breath on getting anything from it."

Chief Nara let out a sigh. "The Mayor is going to ask about this, hell General Shimura is going to ask about this, Hatake."

"Shimura?" Kakashi asked, confused.

Why would Danzo Shimura be remotely interested in a missing university student. As far as he was aware, Sakura had no connection to any officials in Konoha. Her parents were hobby farmers from a tiny town about three hours away.

Chief Nara shook his head, obviously pissed off. "He's taken an interest in the case. And you can bet your ass he'll find out about this fuck up."

Kakashi didn't understand why Danzo was interested in Sakura. Danzo Shimura wasn't even remotely intertwined with the police force at all. He was a Four Star General in the military, why would he even concern himself with one girl?

"I don't get it either, but when General Shimura asks me about the case, I don't really want to tell him we let a witness walk away. He's got some powerful friends and I like my job, Hatake." Chief Nara said, voice deepening in anger at the politics he often had to play at City Hall.

"He wouldn't, would he?" Genma asked, looking a bit confused. "Morino would be all over his ass for interfering if he tried anything."

"He's got Homura and Koharu in his pocket, if he moves, they all move." Hayate chimed in, surprising them all.

Kakashi didn't even know Hayate knew politics. The little hermit was so obsessed with his gadgets that it was surprising he even paid attention to people's names at all.

"Look, whatever game they're playing doesn't matter right now." Chief Nara said, raising a hand. "We have a missing girl and I'm getting heat from the Mayor for how little we've found. Not to mention Inoichi's on my ass and threatening to bring his FBI buddies in."

Genma groaned. "Yeah, that's exactly what we need, some suits sticking their noses in."

"Which is why from now on, we do things right." Chief Nara said sharply, dark eyes falling on Kakashi pointedly.

Kakashi nodded, properly admonished.

"So Hayate, you get anything you can from the damn phone. Kakashi, Genma, you two are heading back up to the crime scene. Scour it from top to bottom. You find anything, you bag it properly." The Chief ordered. "Sakura Haruno didn't just disappear into thin air, and even if time has run out on finding her alive, we _will_ find her."

Genma looked upset at the Chief's words.

Kakashi wondered why this particular missing person's case was hitting Genma so hard. They had worked plenty of them and not once had Genma been so fervent or worried.

He made a note to check in with his partner when they had a moment to breathe.

"I think we should question Sayaka again." Genma said, sitting up straight.

"Yono will bury us if we even try it." Kakashi countered.

"So we lie, we tell Yono that we have the phone, get her to tell Sayaka. It might get a reaction, something at all. Or we pay a visit to her parents. She was involved in this." Genma said firmly, eyes determined.

The Chief nodded. "I agree. Get Yugao here, she can reign Yono in."

"Yugao?" Hayate asked hopefully.

They all rolled their eyes. "You can flirt with her later." Kakashi said.

Little Hayate had a crush the size of Konoha on Yugao, Morino's best disciple and an absolute fire cracker of a woman.

Hayate scowled, going back to his gadget.

"Chief!"

They all turned, Chief Nara looking particularly irritated that he was being interrupted. It was already late, nearly ten pm and Kakashi could only imagine he wanted to go home.

Shin, one of the newer beat cops looked sheepish as he peeked around the door. "I'm sorry sir," He said apologetically. "But it's rather urgent."

"Well?" Chief Nara snapped when Shin didn't immediately elaborate. "What?"

"The Naka river has flooded sir."

"Of for fucks sake." Chief Nara snarled, stalking from the room. "You four, with me." He snapped.

The T.V. was already on and Kakashi rubbed his temples when he saw that Shin had been telling the truth. The footage on the screen had obviously been taken by helicopter.

The Naka river had burst its banks, flooding many of the low lying farms around the base of the mountain. But the footage switched and Kakashi could see that the two main roads that bordered the river as it wound through the centre of Konoha, were flooded too.

The water was moving quickly, sweeping cars along with it. The trees along the river banks did their best, but already some had been knocked over.

"Fucking- Get the KFD on the line, now!" Chief Nara roared. "All of you, get out there and keep people away from the water- Hayate, get city hall on the phone, why the Hell weren't we being kept up to date on the status of the river? Why am I only just learning about this now?! Sarutobi, get the aquatic squad up, they've got fucking work to do!"

"Yes sir!"

"KFD, sir!"

Chief Nara snatched the phone from the harried looking officer. He pointed at Kakashi and Genma. "Get out there, now." He snarled. "Inuzuka, why the Hell am I learning about this from the fucking T.V.?"

The station burst into activity. Hayate scurried away, clutching his gadget and pale faced.

"But what about the phone?" Genma asked desperately. "Sakura is still missing!"

Kakashi understood the frustration. Setback after setback.

"What the hell do you mean you weren't informed either?!" Chief Nara blustered in the background.

Kakashi could hear Fire Chief Inuzuka roaring back, obviously just as caught off guard by the developments as the police were.

He grabbed Genma by the arm, dragging him after Hayate.

"What are you-Oh." Genma blinked a few times, looking a bit startled when Kakashi shoved him into Hayate's office.

The IT Specialist was babbling to someone on the phone, eyes big in his face. He barely acknowledged Kakashi and Genma as he began to type, wedging the phone between his ear and shoulder.

"What do you mean the lines were down, I'm talking to you right now." Hayate snapped. "We put out the warning three hours ago, why weren't your engineers keeping us up to date- Hey, don't put me on hold!"

Kakashi plucked the phone from the fuming IT Specialist. "Hayate, I need a favour."

"I'm a bit busy, Hatake. City Hall is giving me some bullshit about electrical interferences from two days ago. Apparently that's throwing their systems out of whack- Load of shit if you ask me-"

"I wasn't." Kakashi said shortly. "Look. I need you to work on that phone when you can, we need whatever is on there."

"The city is flooding, Hatake!"

"I know, but the longer we wait, the more likely it is that Sakura dies." Kakashi said plainly, playing to Hayate's gentle nature. As squirrelly and weird as the specialist was, he was a kind heart and Kakashi never could understand why he would work in a place as depressing as a police station.

Hayate looked at the little bag contain the phone, placed neatly on his desk. "Chief Nara'll kill me."

"So don't tell him." Genma chimed in. "Look, just when you're not busy."

Hayate bit his lip and Kakashi felt a bit bad for manipulating him like this. But his gut was telling him that Sakura was still alive.

And he wasn't sure, with the flooding and the rain, how long that would last.

"Fine. But I get your stash of strawberry lollipops!" Hayate said, pointing at Genma.

Genma twitched. "Fine."

The phone in Kakashi's hand squawked and Hayate snatched it back.

It was obviously their cue to leave. Genma still looked a bit upset, but with the current situation, there was nothing else for them to do. Right now, keeping the city and her people safe took precedence.

* * *

Sakura flapped her hand at her face, panting a little bit.

Where before, the heat had been a welcome change from Shisui's frigid cavern, now it was oppressive. It pressed down on her and she had to take off her jacket, tying it around her waist when she began to sweat.

In her hand, the stone had begun to dim, and she knew she must be getting closer.

The tunnel hadn't changed much as it spiraled down, blank and rocky walls, the floor pebbled with small rocks and shards of shale. It was still claustrophobic, given that the little light of the rock didn't spread very far, and she couldn't see if there was anything behind her.

Her mind was starting to play tricks on her in the dark, making her see shadows darting around, or hear scratching behind her.

She wished, more than anything, that she wasn't here.

But she couldn't turn back, not when it led to a giant cavern with no way to get out.

So all she could do was continue down the tunnel.

As she walked, she had time to think.

She had obviously been in the mountain for more than a few days, her lanky, greasy hair told her that much, as did her bone weary tiredness and the hunger that gnawed incessantly at her stomach. She was thirsty too, and she knew that she needed to find water soon, water she could drink.

But the rock walls were dry, and she didn't fancy drinking her pee.

At least, not yet.

Sakura wondered, as she lifted the rock higher and clambered over a giant, jagged boulder on the ground, were her friends worried?

Had they sounded the alarm? Were they looking for her?

Would they ever find her?

The thought, coupled with the pressing darkness and the hunger in her belly, made Sakura gasp with fear.

What if they never did-

"No." She whispered harshly to herself. "Stop thinking about that. I am getting out of here."

Setting her jaw, Sakura stomped onwards, making her steps louder and more confident. It made her feel stronger, walking loud enough so she could hear it, like she wasn't afraid of the dark, or dying.

She rounded another bend in the never ending spiral downward and the rock in her hand dimmed even further, barely throwing light far enough to see the ground in front of her feet.

It didn't matter, because ahead of her, she could see the glow of firelight, flickering on the dark rock walls. Emboldened by the sight of light and warmth, Sakura walked faster, almost jogging in her excitement.

The rock dimmed and then faded back to grey completely as soon as she rounded that final corner.

The first thing she saw was the man in the middle of the chamber.

But on closer inspection, Sakura wasn't sure she call what was kneeling in the centre of the chamber, a man at all. his skin was dark grey, his hair long and nearly white, reaching the centre of his back. Hideous, deformed wings that looked more like giant hands erupted from his shoulder blades.

He was bare chested and kneeling, arms stretched up above him in a parody of a cross, chained cruelly at the wrists. There were heavy bolted chains around his ankles and calves, holding him in place on the hard ground.

Around him, a circle of black flames flickered, almost waist height. Occasionally, they spit and roiled, dropping embers into the circle, falling onto the man's skin and pants, singeing them, burning his skin.

He didn't even seem to care.

Sakura caught her breath when the man rolled his head around to look at her.

He had angular eyes, sharp and lined with dark lashes. Over his face, a dark black tattoo the stretched from his forehead to his chin.

He should have been handsome, but instead, he was just grotesque with his hand wing things and demonic eyes and face.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

Sakura was taken aback by his voice.

It sounded honeyed, charming, deep. It had the same lyrical lilt that Shisui's did, almost as if he might start humming or singing.

It didn't suit him at all.

"Answer me!"

Sakura jumped at the barked command, clutching her little rock as if it would protect her.

The man, beast, demon thing snarled at her, distorting his handsome features even more. " _Leave_ , apparition or I will make you."

Apparition?

"I…"

"Do not speak to me." He hissed, straining against the chains holding him in place. His muscles bulged, and the wings on his back flared up, each 'finger' tipped with a wicked looking claw. They rippled with vein and muscle, far too thick and heavy for him to be able to fly.

They looked awful and wrong and just horrible.

Sakura fell back a step, disgusted and horrified in equal measure.

The flames around him blazed higher in response to his movements. He snarled at it too, face enraged, head whipping around as he glared at the flames in fury.

"Leave!" He roared. "Leave me be to endure this torment, apparition!" His eyes blazed red, the same red that Obito's and Kagami's had been. He looked furious, like if he weren't chained, he would tear this chamber down, Sakura in it.

"I can't." She insisted weakly, feeling déjà vu. She had been through this exact conversation with Obito.

The demon glared at her, eyes spinning and now more black than red. He glared at her for a long time, expression hateful.

And then like a switch had been flipped, his face smoothed over, rage giving way to carefully practiced blankness. It was startling, the change in his behaviour, from fury to nothing, just like that.

It disturbed Sakura, how easily he was able to mask his anger.

He looked away from her, resolutely ignoring her.

She crept into the room, keeping to the edge of the circular chamber. It was intricately carved, little stone torch holders and torches set high on the walls, flames flickering with warm, orange light. The symbols looked familiar, almost like Japanese, but not quite.

Sakura peered at one more closely, keeping her front facing the strange demon man, just in case those chains didn't hold him back.

He was watching her with narrow eyes, mouth set in a deep scowl.

The wall was warm, but then, everything down here was.

Sakura glanced at the flames surrounding the demon. They flickered darkly, seemingly springing from nothing at all. They were fascinated and terrifying all at once. Where did they come from? Why were they black? What were they burning?

She was so curious about them, but also, a part of her didn't want to know.

That was the part that resolutely, absolutely wanted nothing to do with any of this.

The demon scoffed at her, derisive and patronising, but he didn't say anything.

Sakura knew this had to be Shisui's brother, after all the stone had gone dark.

And there was no way out of the chamber but the way she came and that only led to Shisui's cavern.

He seemed more combative than the others, angrier and less receptive to her presence. Where Obito had just been tormented and hurt, this one seemed genuinely angry at the world and Sakura wondered, if she let him out, would he unleash that anger on the world like Obito had promised to?

"What?!" He snarled.

Sakura blinked, not having realised she was staring. "I… Are you… Um…" She wasn't sure how to start this. "I'm Sakura." She offered, creeping a step closer.

The demon's face twisted in disdain.

"Are you… Um…" Sakura fumbled for the rock, holding it out for him to see. Maybe if she showed it to him, he would recognise it as Shisui's. "Your brother gave me this. He said it would show me the way."

His eyes narrowed in intense dislike, his gaze almost physical where it dragged over her frame. "Liar." He snarled.

"I'm not!" She insisted, tilting her palm so the rock was on full display. It didn't glow now, only a dully grey pebble, but she hoped it would, just to prove her story to him. She didn't want to be here anymore than he did. "Shisui, he told me that it would dim when I got closer to you."

She took a step forward and he strained again, face twisting in a snarl. She swallowed and backed off again.

"I'm not a liar." She said plainly.

The demon looked up at the ceiling, a sharp, bitter smile spreading his mouth. "What joke is this now, Koharu? You send a vision of a girl to torture me with stories of my elder brother? You think this will break me?"

Koharu?

Who in the world was Koharu?

"It will not." The demon man hissed at the ceiling. "I have endured your sick sense of punishment for a thousand years and I will endure it until this accursed mountain is worn away by wind and time." He vowed, voice deepening with promise.

"… I don't know who Koharu is," Sakura interrupted meekly. "But I'm not a vision or an apparition- My name is Sakura."

The demon rolled his eyes, looking at her with a condescending smirk. "Better than you have tried to trick me and failed."

Sakura wondered if all the Uchiha had hard heads or something. Why was if they always assumed she was some sort of vision or memory or something? Why couldn't she just be Sakura?

"I'm not trying to do anything!" Sakura exploded, clutching her rock.

He looked mildly surprised at her outburst but said nothing, only looked away.

The feeling of the little rock was comforting, gave her confidence and strength. She took a deep breath. "Your brother, _brothers_ said I had to free you all before I could leave." She shook the rock. "And I'm not staying down here, so that means I have to figure out to how to help you."

"As if you could."

She recoiled at his venomous words, almost dripping with anger.

He looked at her, smirk nowhere to be seen, only cold fury in his face. "Stupid girl." He snarled. "Stupid, _stupid_ girl. You think you can come here and undo the curse meant to restrain power you could not understand?"

Sakura didn't know what to say in the face of such rage.

Even Obito had never directed his anger at her.

"This is beyond you, little girl. So run, run back to whatever master has sent you and snivel at their feet like the meek little girl you are." The demon spat, nose wrinkling and eyes flaring black and red for a moment.

He was looking at her as if she was the lowest of the low. Nothing more than a bug or a piece of dirt.

Sakura drew her rock back to her chest, shocked and more than a little hurt by his words. She searched for something to say, stung by his cruel judgement. "I…"

"Stupid and deaf." The demon sighed.

Sakura recoiled. She hadn't asked for any of this, she hadn't even wanted to come but she was trying!

"Do what you will, apparition. It will not work." The demon man hissed, eyes blazing.

"I'm not an apparition or vision or whatever!" Sakura insisted, determined not to give up. Shisui had said there were only three more. She was close, so close to getting home, and she wasn't just going to sit down here and die because this one thought he was hallucinating. "I'm Sakura, I was pushed down here by this girl and Kagami said I couldn't leave until-"

"You think naming my brothers will help convince me?"

Sakura blinked. "I… It's the truth!"

"I suppose you think it is the truth." The demon said blandly. "But you are a stupid creature, you would believe whatever lies your masters told you."

Creature?!

Sakura took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She knew getting angry would accomplish nothing, only serve to prove him right or anger him further. And this one… this one was different than the others, he seemed quick tempered, more violent than the other three.

"I'm not a creature, I'm Sakura." She said, trying to be patient.

"Stupid name."

"Wha-"

The demon tilted his head, watching her with narrow eyes. He was looking for something, but Sakura didn't know what.

Either way, it didn't matter. Her name was not stupid. At least her name was somewhat modern and with the times, unlike his brother's who all sounded like they'd been plucked from the pages of a fantasy novel.

"My name isn't stupid." Sakura said shortly, clutching her rock. The smooth edges of helped keep her grounded and she sighed again, trying not to get angry. It was hard, because she had been teased for her name and hair before and it still made her just a little bit defensive. "Look, I'm just trying to help you- Don't you want to go free?"

"I have resisted better temptation than this." The demon said sharply, pitching his words as derisive and cruel. It was clear was he was referring to.

Something in Sakura just… Snapped.

She was sick of it all, being treated like a child, being talked down to, having things kept from her. She hated being led in circles, having her life dictated for her, at having her choices ripped away from her at every turn.

And now there was this… _brat_ , calling her stupid and meek and weak and dumb.

Sakura was plenty of things, but she was not going to sit here and be insulted.

She was dopey, but she wasn't stupid, and he was _not_ going to call her that. He was not going to judge her, he didn't have the right, when he knew _nothing_ of what she had gone through.

Sakura was sick of his insults and bad attitude. She was trying to help him! She was trying to leave, just the same as him, and all he had done was call her stupid and disparage her attempts at conversation.

Truly angry, Sakura hurled the rock at him.

It hit him in the side of the temple with a sharp smack.

The rock hit the ground by his knee with a clatter, loud in the suddenly silent chamber.

Sakura glared at him, refusing to feel remorse for resorting to such childish tactics or for hitting him in the head with her rock.

His head whipped around, mouth snarling and eyes blazing. "Who do you think you ar-"

"Sakura!" She snapped, loud enough to drown his words out. "My name is Sakura and you will call me by it! Do you think I want to be down here, trapped in this stupid mountain with you? I don't! I just want to go home but I can't because I have to free you!"

He looked genuinely shocked by her anger, but Sakura didn't care.

She was seeing red, limbs trembling with rage. "I _am_ going home and whether you like it or not, that means I have to free you. So you can either help me or bitch and moan, either way, I'm getting out of this godforsaken place!"

Her chest was heaving at the end of her rant, fists balled up and shoulders high. She was hungry and tired and thirsty and completely spent. She had tried, tried so hard to keep her composure, to be kind and understanding but this was the last straw.

"So?!" She demanded sharply. "What do you want to do?!"

The demonic man was staring at her, eyes wide and expression vaguely offended.

The chamber was silent for a very long time, his eyes narrow and expression considering as he stared at her.

For a brief second, Sakura wondered if she had gone too far.

And then-

"I am Sasuke."

* * *

Ino sat in her room, clutching the stupid, ugly bear Sakura had won at the state fair a few years ago. It was hideous, bright blue and one eye higher than the other, but she loved it.

It smiled up at her, a bit like Sakura would, goofy and bright and it only made Ino feel worse.

She was Sakura's best friend. And she was the one who had insisted that Sakura come with them to the Uchiha compound.

This was _her_ fault.

If only she hadn't forced Sakura to come on their stupid ghost hunting trip, she wouldn't have gone missing.

Ino didn't- wouldn't believe that Sakura had run away. Sakura wouldn't not when she had just gotten that internship at Konoha Women's Hospital, not when she was acing all of her classes. Sakura wasn't the type to give up on her dreams, especially not when she was so close.

That was why Ino didn't believe Sayaka's story. Not one bit.

Sakura hadn't run away. Someone had _taken_ her.

 _Killed her_ , a nasty, horrible voice said in her head, _someone's killed her, and they think you did it._

Ino squeezed her eyes shut. She refused to listen to that awful voice.

Sakura _wasn't_ dead.

 _If you hadn't have forced her to go, she would be fine_ , the voice wheedled, _this is all_ _ **your**_ _fault!_

Shaking her head, Ino squeezed the bear a little tighter, tears welling up in her eyes again. She had just wanted to help Sakura relax a little bit, wanted Sakura to enjoy her time at university instead of spending it studying and worrying about her grades.

She never meant for this to happen!

 _Didn't you?_ The voice asked, sounding cold and curious, _the cops think you did it, Ino. How can you be sure you didn't, hmm?_

Ino knew she hadn't done anything to hurt Sakura, no matter what the police said. She hadn't! She had been with Naruto the whole time!

She felt a little odd, almost tired, dreamy. Her room seemed darker, colder than before and she wanted to sleep.

 _Are you sure? I mean… you do have that symbol of the devil on your arm_ , the voice sighed, sounding almost bored, _no one could blame you, Sakura was always a little goody two shoes_.

At the thought of the symbol, Ino looked down, trying to blink away her sudden exhaustion. It was starting to fade a little bit, worn away by her showering and time. But it was still clear as day on her skin, staring up at her far too innocently for what it truly meant.

The occult.

Devil worship and sacrifice.

Sayaka had told her it was henna, that it meant friendship. She had said that the white would look cooler, even held out the little pot of paint she had brought along to the mall when they had gone to get them done.

Ino had had no idea it was an occult symbol.

 _You didn't know?_ The voice asked. _Admit it Ino, you did something, didn't you? You just don't_ _ **want**_ _to remember_.

"I didn't…" Ino slurred, brushing a thumb over the tattoo. The skin on her wrist was freezing, almost icy. "I didn't do anything."

 _But you did._ The voice murmured. _Don't you remember?_

"I didn't!" Ino snapped, furious. She hadn't done anything to Sakura, why would she? Sakura was her best friend, her closest companion from childhood, she would never, ever do anything to hurt her. _Never!_ "Shut up!"

 _You did. Just admit it._ The voice said, honey smooth and persuasive, _just tell them Ino, tell them what you did to Sakura._

Ino shook her head violently, trying to banish those thoughts away. She knew she hadn't done anything to Sakura, she had been with Naruto. Sayaka had been with Sakura the whole time, not Ino.

Suddenly fed up with that voice in her head and the whole situation in general, Ino shoved the bear off her lap and rubbed hard on the symbol. She wanted it gone.

She wanted it off of her.

This stupid, _stupid_ thing!

Ino rubbed, harder and harder, until her skin was raw and red under her hand, but she refused to stop.

It wasn't coming off!

Tears rose to her eyes in frustration and helplessness. Helplessness that she couldn't find Sakura, frustration that it was taking them so long, that she couldn't get this _stupid goddamn thing_ off of her skin.

 _Why wasn't it coming off?!_

"Ino, stop it!" Someone cried, snatching her hands in theirs and tugging them away from each other. "Oh my god, Ino!"

Ino burst into tears, bowing forward. "I didn't do anything!" She wailed. "I didn't!"

"I know you didn't, Ino."

Looking up, Ino saw that it was Naruto who was clutching her hands like a lifeline, his own blue eyes watery and wide. He looked rumpled and pale, shoulders hunched and hair in disarray. "Naruto… When did you-"

Her friend tried to smile, but it fell flat, his lips quivering instead. "Your mum let me in." He whispered. "I… I just needed to be around people…" He said quietly, looking down at her arm, still held limply in his hand.

Ino followed his gaze and felt ashamed when she saw just how red and rubbed raw her wrist was.

"Why?" Naruto asked, voice cracking a little bit.

Ino felt selfish and stupid. Naruto had been hurting as much as her, but she hadn't thought of him even once. "I just… It's an occult symbol and I… Sayaka told me it meant friendship." She whispered, wiping her face. "I want it to come off."

"Yeah the detectives said." Naruto murmured. He pulled on her arm. "You gotta use soap and water if you want it to come off, Ino."

They went to her bathroom together and she let him put her hot and achy wrist under some cool water. He worked steadily, using her makeup remover and her soap to slowly work away the white paint.

Ino didn't help him.

Naruto seemed almost desperate for something to do, hands shaking as he worked and jaw quivering. It had to be killing him, knowing Sakura was out there somewhere and not being able to help.

"Y-you said the detectives told you?" Ino said, voice hushed.

Naruto jerked, blinking rapidly. "I… They asked me to come in again." He said, obviously trying to put on a brave face. "They kept asking if you were into the occult and stuff. I told them you weren't… I told them that story about how we found the squirrel shrine thing and you vomited on my shoes- Do'ya remember?"

Ino remembered.

She had yelled at him when he'd laughed at her.

Idiot.

"It took me ages to get it out of my laces." Naruto whispered, a sad smile fading from his face. "And then there was that time I fell down that hole, remember, in that old abandoned-"

"Asylum." Ino finished with a small smile. "You thought you were being eaten by a monster."

"Hey! You were the one who insisted it was the ghost of that crazy patient!" Naruto said loudly, looking up from his work on Ino's wrist.

They both smiled at the memory of Naruto's panicked wailing and Ino's giggles. It had turned out to be nothing more than rotting floorboards, but it was still a nice memory.

After a few moments, the room was quiet again, the only sound the gurgle of the running water as Naruto cleaned away the last of the henna tattoo. Her skin was still red and hot from where she had been rubbing at it, but it was clear once more.

Ino stared at her bare wrist, almost feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Naruto let her wrist go, clutching the face cloth he had been using. "They'll find her." He said, head down and shoulders high. "They will."

He sounded so confident and sure that Ino almost envied him.

She wanted to be sure Sakura would come home… But it had been five days since her best friend had gone missing and there was still no sign of her. No phone calls, no footprints, no sightings, nothing.

Outside, the clouds gathered, brought together by the humidity of the midday sun.

* * *

Sakura sat down as close as she dared to the searing hot flames. Sasuke didn't seem bothered by them in the slightest, not even sweating. Now that she was closer, she could see the tattoo on his face lightened to grey, just darker than his skin, and extended down and across his chest.

She was still angry, but it was beginning to give way to frustration now. She refused to feel bad for yelling at him, but she did feel a little bit guilty for having thrown a rock at him.

It was unacceptable, under any circumstances.

"I shouldn't have thrown the… Rock." She apologised, gesturing at the little pebble lying at his knees. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke grunted.

She waited for him to apologise for his words, but he didn't, instead just staring at her with intense eyes and a mouth set in a considering frown. It was a little bit intimidating, having his attention fixed solely on her.

"Um…" Sakura looked away, trying to think of something to say. It was different now that he wasn't raging at her. The chamber fell silent, and Sakura could still feel his eyes on her face, sharp and intense.

Now that it was quiet, Sakura could hear the oddest rustling noise. It sounded almost like whispering, but every time she focused on it, the sound faded away until it sounded just flames crackling.

Sakura looked around, wondering if she was going crazy.

The whispering got louder, it almost sounded like words.

Her eyes fell on the flames as they flickered.

Was it…

Was it coming from the fire?

Sakura leaned closer, the heat from the fire so intense she could only endure it for a few moments before she had to move away. But in those few moments, she had definitely heard voices, whispering over each other in gibberish.

"What is that?" Sakura asked, rubbing her hot cheeks. She looked up at Sasuke for an explanation, but he just stared at her steadily, not forthcoming at all. Sighing, Sakura sat back on her heels.

He didn't seem particularly interested in talking or helping her at all.

The chamber was quiet for a long while, and Sakura's eyes were again drawn back to the flames circling Sasuke's chained form. They danced, unnaturally black and hot. They seemed almost solid, because she could barely see through them at all.

The longer she stared, the more she heard the whispering.

It was gibberish, in some language that she couldn't understand. It sounded like fire, but if fire had a voice.

She cocked her head, drawn to the dark flames.

Maybe it was like with Obito? Maybe she wouldn't get burned? Kagami said that if her heart wasn't pure, she would burn alive, but… She had picked up that shard and it hadn't burnt her. Maybe these flames would be the same.

She glanced up at Sasuke, saw that he was still watching her with narrow eyes, searching and calculating.

Sakura couldn't understand why he was looking at her like that, but she reached for the flames anyway.

"I would not do that." Sasuke said sharply.

Sakura's hand drew back automatically as she looked up at him.

"The flames cannot be extinguished by any normal means. You will burn forever if you touch it." Sasuke explained, narrowing his eyes at the flames. "Once upon a time, they were mine to command."

Sakura's interest was piqued. "And now…?"

"The one who trapped me here thought it a fitting punishment, imprisoning me within my own creation." Sasuke said, voice deepening with anger.

That seemed to be a pattern, first Kagami, and then Obito, Shisui and now Sasuke too. Whoever had imprisoned the Uchiha down here sounded like a sadistic individual.

But Sakura wasn't sure if she could blame them. She didn't believe, not after having met Obito and seeing his memories, that the Uchiha were good. She knew, just knew, that there was something fundamentally wrong with them.

Had whoever imprisoned them, done so for a reason?

Sakura again, wondered if what she was doing was right. Could she, in good conscience, let them out when she knew deep in herself, that these men, demons, gods, whatever, were dangerous?

"Run!"

The word sounded desperate and pitchy with fear. Sakura jumped, looking around for whoever had said it. It had been a woman, immediately ruling out Sasuke. But where…

Her eyes once again fell on the fire surrounding Sasuke.

"Run!" The woman whispered again, urgently. "Do not trust him!"

"Sakura."

She looked up and gasped at the sight of Sasuke's eyes. No longer the deep burgundy that Obito's and Kagami's had been, they were now black, a red, six pointed star swirling lazily in the iris, a smaller, three pointed shape in the very centre.

They were mesmerising.

And then Sakura wasn't in the chamber anymore.

She was sitting at her desk in her grungy, dinky unit. Sunlight was streaming through her curtains, pooling on her books and arms. It felt so real.

Sakura blinked in confusion, looking around.

Hadn't she just been…

Her room looked exactly the way it had when she had left. Her bed covers rumpled from getting out of them that morning, her backpack dumped at her base of her wardrobe, her towel and make-up strewn over the floor and bedside table.

Looking down, Sakura saw that she was still in her workout clothes.

"Sasuke?" She called, rising from her desk. The chair scraped over the cheap tiles, making the sound it always did.

Had it been a dream?

It couldn't have been, because when Sakura looked at her palm, it was still torn up and red, congealed blood and bits of dirt turning her skin a dull brown.

"What's going on? Sasuke?"

"Sakura!"

She turned around just in time to see Ino burst through her bedroom door. Her best friend was dressed in a little crop top and skirt, blonde hair pulled back into a severe, high ponytail and silver hoops gleaming in her ears.

"There you are!" Ino cried, bouncing forward to hook her arm with Sakura's. She beamed at Sakura, eyes crinkling at the corners like they always did. "We've been waiting for ages!"

Sakura stared at her best friend, chin quivering and eyes welling with tears.

"Come on, we're going to be-"

Sakura launched herself at the blonde, wrapping her arms tightly around Ino's shoulders and squeezing so tightly she heard Ino gasp. She buried her face in Ino's neck, unable to keep from crying at the relief and joy of seeing her best friend.

She had been alone and scared for so long.

Seeing Ino, it was too much.

"Forehead?" Ino asked, worried. She hugged Sakura back tightly. "What happened?"

Sakura pulled away with a sniff, wiping at her eyes. "Nothing, nothing, I just missed you."

Ino tilted her head, eyes searching and a little smile on her face. "Gosh forehead, you're such a cry baby, you know that?" She teased, poking Sakura in the forehead with a grin. "I know I'm beautiful, but please, keep the tears to a minimum."

Sakura laughed at Ino's antics. "I'll try."

"Good." Ino said firmly, nodding sagely. "Now, we're going to be late if you don't hurry!"

"Late for what?" Sakura asked, confused.

Ino rolled her head good naturedly. "Don't tell me you forgot already, Forehead?" She teased, linking her arm with Sakura's and tugging her from the bedroom.

Sakura was just so happy to see Ino again that she let the blonde guide her out of her tiny unit altogether.

"The picnic!" Ino exclaimed excitedly, gesturing at the obnoxious orange car parked in the driveway.

Naruto was hanging out the drivers side window and he brightened happily at Sakura, almost falling out altogether in his exuberance. "Sakura!" He called. "Look at the weather! Perfect day for a picnic!"

Sakura was inclined to agree. The sun shone brightly overhead, and the sky was a cheery, clear blue, not a cloud in the sky. It was warm, but not humid and she inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh, cool air. "It really is."

"Well, come on!" Ino cried, tugging Sakura to the car happily.

Sakura slipped into the back seat with Ino, smiling widely, genuinely since this had all started.

Off they went, laughing and listening to music.

It felt so real that Sakura started to believe it was. The wind streaming through the open window, Ino's terrible singing, Naruto's laughter, the smell of Kushina's home made potato salad and chicken pies in the boot.

They ended up at one of Konoha's numerous parks. It was busy, families playing or enjoying the sun, couples walking their dogs or simply enjoying a walk in the park.

Sakura smiled broadly.

She loved her city, truly she did.

Especially when it was like this, happy and vibrant, where people were healthy and enjoying themselves.

"Hey, over here!"

At the familiar voice, Sakura turned around, heart leaping.

Her mother and father were waving at her from under a big tree, a familiar plaid blanket laid out on the grass and a battered basket at her father's feet.

"Sakura!" Her mother called, waving.

Sakura felt tears well, but this time with joy and happiness.

Her parents didn't live in Konoha, not anymore. They had moved to the rural country side when she was a teenager, taking Sakura with them. And when Sakura started university, she had had to move away from them.

She missed them terribly, her father's awful jokes, her mother's bad cooking. She missed the smell of coming home to freshly baked bread and her father mixing up some new recipe for dinner. She called them, but it wasn't the same as seeing them.

She ran to them, leaving her friends to laugh and call out after her.

"Hey, you have to help us carry this stuff!" Ino cried, but there was only laughter in her words.

Sakura grabbed both of her parents tightly, squeezing with all her might, loath to let go.

They were warm and real in her arms and she truly believed that this might be real. She wanted it to be so badly.

Everything was okay when her mother and father were there.

"Oh bun," Her father said, patting her head. "You really missed your dear old parents, huh?"

"Yeah." Sakura said weakly, pulling back and rubbing her face dry. Her mother tsked, pushing Sakura's arms away and doing it herself, far gentler. Any other time, Sakura might have found mother's doting annoying or embarrassing, but right now she was just glad to have them here with her.

"Hey, Mr, Mrs. Haruno!" Ino chirped, dropping the cooler bag she had been carrying at her feet. Behind her, Naruto was struggling along, laden down with two coolers and a giant bag of drinks.

"Hey! Ino, come help me you lazy lump!" The blonde man yelled, staggering slightly.

Ino's face went red. "Are you calling me fat?!"

"Yes!"

Sakura laughed, delighted by the familiarity of their bickering.

After a little more whinging from Naruto and Sakura relieving him of his bag, they settled down to eat.

Her father had made his famous sandwiches, much to Naruto's delight, and even brought along some of his delicious brownies. Ino had a fit, because she was another one of her clean eating binges and didn't want to ruin her macros.

"Just one, Ino, come on!" Her father cajoled, waving the treat under her nose.

Sakura giggled when Ino finally took the treat. Her best friend was always a sucker for her father's sweet treats and predictably, Ino moaned in delight when she took her first bite.

"I seriously have to get the recipe for these." Naruto said through a mouthful of sandwich, spitting crumbs everywhere.

Sakura relaxed, folding her legs and nibbling on a chicken pie and some salad, just enjoying the company. All of the stress from the mountain, her fear, her exhaustion, it all seemed to melt away and a part of her wondered if she had just imagined it.

"How is university going, Sakura?" Her mother asked, heaping another portion of potato salad on Sakura's plastic plate. "You're too skinny." She said in response to Sakura's questioning look.

"It's fine." Sakura said with a shrug. "Finals are coming up-"

"Ugh, don't remind me!" Naruto wailed, pouting at his sandwich. "I'm so far behind."

"Well if you studied each week, you wouldn't be!" Ino said, poking the other blonde in the arm.

"Um, coming from you, that's a bit rich." Naruto shot back.

"What was that?"

"Stop it!" Sakura laughed, waving a hand at her friends. "Let's not talk about uni, it's too nice a day for such a boring topic."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Ino childishly. Ino scoffed, hitting him in the face with her long hair as she flicked it over her shoulder.

The rest of the lunch passed quickly, almost too quickly for Sakura's liking, but she didn't mind so much. She had time to spend with her family and friends after all.

She leaned back and hissed when her right hand twinged painfully, sending a jolt of pain and clarity to her mind.

Sakura looked down.

On her palm, the gash, blood congealed around the wound. Her skin was stained a dull, rusty red, the wound jagged and angry.

"Well bun, we've got to get home to feed the chickens, so we really do need to be going."

Sakura jerked, looking back up, away from her hand. No one seemed to have noticed it at all and all of a sudden, she realised that she was still in her sweaty and dirty clothes, her hair still greasy and disgusting.

Her mother smiled at her, rising off the blanket. Her father was packing up the basket while Ino berated Naruto for his bad packing skills.

Sakura looked around the park, breath coming faster with fear.

The park was happy, a cool breeze rippling through the leaves above them, families and dogs running around. It was so perfect.

Shoving herself up, Sakura launched at herself at her mother for a hug.

This was real.

It had to be!

But instead of colliding with her mother, Sakura slipped through her completely.

She stumbled, eyes wide and spun around.

Her parents, Ino and Naruto and the whole scene, idyllic and beautiful, flickered like a television losing signal.

"No…" Sakura whispered. She staggered forward and then stumbled into a half run, reaching out for her parents and friends.

They vanished before she could, and she fell-

Sakura fell forward, catching herself before she could faceplant.

The flickering orange light over the carved floor made it very clear where she was.

The chamber.

"No!" She cried, sitting up and looking around wildly. "No!" She looked at Sasuke desperately, angrily, confused. "What did you do?!"

Sasuke was breathing heavily, eyes wide and then he looked away from her, hiding his face behind his hair. "It was necessary." He said, voice almost pained.

"It was…" Sakura looked down, distraught. "It was a dream, wasn't it?"

"There was no other way."

Sakura glared at him, rage boiling under her skin, making her feel hot and twitchy. "What the _**fuck**_ does that mean?!" She demanded, shoving herself up to standing. It made her feel better, now that she was taller than Sasuke on his knees. "Why would you do that to me?! _**Why?!**_ "

Her eyes stung with tears of hurt and her chest ached something fierce with loss. It had felt so real, eating her picnic with Ino and Naruto, seeing her parents. She had wanted it to be real so badly.

But it _wasn't_.

And it hurt so bad to know that it wasn't.

She choked, trying her best not to cry but the tears spilled over anyway. Covering her mouth to muffle her sobs, Sakura turned away so Sasuke didn't have the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

But she couldn't hide her shaking shoulders and the raw, pained sobs that tore themselves out of her chest.

She wanted it to have been real so bad.

"If there was another way, I would have done it." Sasuke said behind her. He sounded almost apologetic.

Sakura ignored him, sinking to her knees and hugging herself. Her chest hurt, her throat hurt, and her eyes stung.

She didn't know how long she kneeled there, crying. It could have been hours, or only minutes. She missed her friends so bad, wanted to go back and be happy with them.

She knew that they were worried about her, hated that they would be worried and scared. She knew that they would blame themselves and she couldn't bear the thought of either of them hurting.

Sakura scrubbed at her face, willing the tears to go, but they didn't. They just kept on falling, onto her knees, onto the ground below her, pooling in the little whorl carved into the floor.

Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath, half choking on it. She stared at the glistening puddle of tears in the whorl, hating how weak she was acting.

One last tear slipped off her chin, dropping into the whorl with an unusually loud _plink_.

There was a deep groaning sound from deep within the rock beneath her and Sakura gasped, eyes wide as she looked down, freezing in place. She turned around slowly and watched in confusion as her tears seeped down the deep groove etched into the rock, towards the black flames.

There wasn't near enough liquid for it to spread so far, but the whorl never emptied. Instead, the water from tears just kept creeping along the grove. It glistened and gleamed in the black fire light, turned silver and burnished gold.

Slowly, slowly it moved along.

Sakura half expected it to evaporate when it neared the black fire, but it didn't.

Instead it just crept along and when the first drop touched the flames, they hissed loudly, recoiling violently. The liquid pressed forward, splitting from the grove to move in a circle, extinguishing the flames as it went.

Around it curled, putting out the flames.

The intense heat from the fire began to abate as soon as the last flame was extinguished by her tears.

Sakura looked up at Sasuke. "What-"

But he wasn't looking at her, but at the ring of water that now surrounded him. The water in the groove around him seemed to shake and the it overflowed, streaming towards him, silver and white.

The veins in Sasuke's neck stood out and he snarled, face twisting with pain or anger, Sakura wasn't sure, when the first droplets of liquid touched his knees.

She watched, confused and eyes still wet.

The water trailed up his clothed legs, like thin silver chains. As they did, the heavy bolted chains around his ankles and calves broken with low, screeching cracks. They split along the middle and then fell heavily to the floor with a clatter.

Up and up the water crawled.

Sakura's eyes widened when it reached his torso.

As the water followed his tattoo up his abdomen, clear, pale skin followed behind it, replacing the dull, ashy grey. It crawled over his arms, leaving them pale and human.

When it reached his shoulders, the hand wings at his back rippled with pain. They unclenched and clenched, seemingly trying to get away from the slow movement of the water upwards.

But they couldn't and Sakura wretched when they ripped away from his skin altogether, landing behind him with a loud, dull thump. Immediately, they burst into black flames and Sakura swore she could hear agonised screaming from the burning pile of flesh.

Sasuke screamed, a horrible, terrible sound of pain.

Sakura's eyes went wide, and she felt herself recoil when he bowed forward as much as he could, restrained as he was.

His hair began to shorter as the water wrapped around his neck, his skin paling and the dark tattoo fading back into his skin.

He cried out once more, whole body taut with pain and the muscles in his arms and chest rippling, unable to move away from what was causing him such pain.

But finally, it was over.

The water had reached the chains around his wrists and with a sharp, high pitched shearing noise, they ripped away from his skin. He sagged forward limply, and Sakura moved without thinking, reaching out to catch him before he could hit the ground face first.

His skin was hot, almost feverishly so under her hands and he was shockingly heavy.

Sakura grunted, trying to heft him higher, but he barely moved. He was half slumped on her, head bowed against her chest and torso draped over her knees. "Agh, Sasuke-"

Sasuke groaned, cutting her off and his hand wrapped around her bicep, using it to pull himself out. Sakura steadied him as best she could, but he was far bigger than her and she wasn't sure how much she was actually helping.

He looked up and Sakura actually felt her breath catch in her throat.

He was beautiful.

Where before his face had been twisted and deformed by rage and whatever had a hold of him, now it was smooth and stunning. High cheekbones, a well defined nose, long eyelashes. All of these things, the other Uchiha had had as well.

But with Sasuke…

It was almost like the dial was turned up to eleven.

There was almost a sheen to his skin, a glow from within him.

His eyes were intense, hooded, dark and lips red and full.

"Sakura." He murmured.

Sakura dropped him and scrambled away, face red.

Sasuke hissed, catching himself at the last minute, hair falling over his face. Sakura could see it was much shorter now, long bangs in the front and short, spiky strands in the back. It should have looked ridiculous and on anyone else, it would have. But on him, it looked right.

Now that she was away from his heat and good looks, Sakura remembered what he had done to her.

He had tricked her, showed her an image of her family and friends, let her live it and then he had torn it away like it was a sick, cruel joke. He had insulted her, called her stupid and a creature and yelled at her.

She looked away from him, biting her lip and fists clenching on the floor. "So that's it then?" She said shortly.

She heard clothes rustling but refused to look at him.

"Come here." He demanded.

Sakura pushed herself up, pressing her aching palm against her chest. She wasn't going to fall for any more tricks.

No more.

"Sakura." He said, sounding almost annoyed by her disobedience, but Sakura didn't care. She wasn't a dog. "There was no other way."

That made Sakura see red and she whirled around to face him, rage surging through her chest. "No other way?!" She repeated, voice like acid. "There was no other way?!" Her voice was steadily rising in pitch, almost hysterical.

Sakura surged forward and slapped him as hard as she could across the cheek. The sound echoed around the chamber and Sasuke's head whipped to the side, but other than that, he didn't move.

Sakura almost hated him for it. "You could have told me what was going on!" She cried, shaking her head to keep from crying. She raised her hand again to hit him, so hurt and raw and tired of it all.

"I had to." Sasuke said, catching her hand before she could hit him again. His cheek was vivid red in the firelight, but his eyes were dark, not red. "The visions… Apparitions, they would come to me, tempt me. It was easy to see through them at first, because they were pale imitations of emotion, nothing more than a foolish woman's expectation of what sorrow, loss or hurt might look like."

He sighed. "Over time, they became more complex, more real. I needed to see who you were."

Sakura jerked her hand away, not understanding what he was saying. "Liar." She said, throwing his earlier words back at his face.

He blinked, slow and calm. "The tears had to come from a place of pain." He explained.

"You couldn't have just told me that?!" Sakura demanded, voice louder than usual. Her words echoed off the walls, seeming to get louder and louder and more accusing each time.

Sasuke put a hand over her chest, right over her heart. Sakura froze, not expecting him to touch her at all. his palm was almost hot through her thin shirt. "A genuine place of pain." He murmured. "I am sorry."

Sakura pushed his hand away, raw and hurt. She didn't want to believe him, wanted to hit him again and again for making her so angry, for making her cry, for giving her a glimpse of her friends and then ripping it away so cruelly.

She swiped at her eyes angrily, hating how easily she fell back into crying. "Don't you ever do something like that again!" She hissed, taking a few steps away from him. She cupped her elbows. She wasn't afraid of him, but she didn't trust him.

Not after something like that.

Sasuke nodded once.

Bending, the demon turned man picked something up off the ground.

It was her little rock.

Sasuke turned it over and over in his hands, face twisting strangely. He almost looked annoyed. And then he raised the rock to his lips and blew on it gently.

It flared back to life, glowing brightly once more.

"I believe this is yours." He murmured, holding the rock out to her.

Sakura stared at it bullishly. She knew he was holding out an apology, a truce of sorts, but she didn't want to stop being angry at him.

So she snatched it from him, clutching it close to her chest. She didn't look at him, didn't say anything.

"Come." Sasuke said. "I will take you to Itachi."

* * *

Kakashi groaned, rolling onto his side when his phone rang. He stared at the little black device with bleary eyes, making no move to answer it. A few moments later, and it went dead.

Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes again.

The phone rang once more.

"Fucking…" Snatching the phone off the bedside table, Kakashi nearly blinded himself looking at the bright screen. Before he closed his eyes to save his poor, burning retinas, he saw that it was his partner, _again_ , disturbing his sleep.

Little bastard deserved to have his lollipops stolen.

" _ **What?**_ " He growled.

"Hayate has something." Genma said briskly, sounding far too chipper for… three am.

Kakashi rubbed his eyes. "And it couldn't wait until morning?"

Above him, lightning flashed across the sky over and over, silent and deadly. The electrical storm had been raging all night.

"Look you lazy asshole, if I have to be up dealing with Hayate's squirrelly ass, so do you." Genma snapped. "Get your ass to the station."

"Is it even important?" Kakashi whined, flopping back on his pillow. "He said there was nothing about the occult on Ino's phone-"

" _Yes, it's important_." Genma said sharply. "Sakura filmed her own death."

Kakashi sat up.

Well.

That was kind of important.

There was a loud boom of thunder from somewhere above him and Kakashi flinched automatically. A moment later, and the world lit up in brilliant white as lightning flashed through the clouds. Again and again the lightning flashed, arcing across the clouds he could see through his skylight, jagged and violent.

And then the street lamps outside died with an audible whine and the fan Kakashi had on turned off with a click. His alarm clock went black and the little light on his desktop went dark as well.

Kakashi looked out the window and saw the lights turning off in a wave across the city.

Wonderful.

* * *

SAKURA ISN'T DEAD. But you will find out why Genma said that and came to that conclusion in the next chapter. I just want you to all know, SAKURA'S NOT DEAD.

So just going to clarify, Sasuke was goading Sakura on the whole chapter - he wanted to make her angry, and he wanted to make her cry. It was cruel, but I just didn't have room to add more in. the chapter is pushing 11,000 words already. I know you all like the longer chapters, but I was getting to the point where I was starting to write other chapters and bits for the story, which is a dead giveaway that I'm done with a particular bit.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some porn to write.

Please let me know what you think! I do love reading all of your reviews!


	6. Day 6: Blind Loyalty

I reread Itachi's death and the whole story behind his actions and can someone just give this man a hug or something, _oh my god_.

Also. To the person who left the guest review since I can't reply to you, where did you even get the idea that I was just going to end this after Sakura meets them all? WHY IS THIS IDEA SO PERVASIVE? Why are so many people convinced that I'm ending the story or not continuing or something? DID I SAY SOMETHING.

You guys get five Uchiha's this chapter. Aren't you lucky?

Please enjoy!

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 6: Blind Loyalty

"You realise the city was flooded correct?!" Chief Nara boomed furiously, glaring at the little USB on the desk in front of him. "And now we had to contend with the fact that city is flying blind and over fifty million people are without power?"

"Yes sir, but we-"

"And yet, you still took valuable time and resources away from the city to look through a phone?" Chief Nara demanded, looking at the two of them, absolutely incensed.

Kakashi couldn't really blame the chief, after all, the last week had been a shitshow of epic proportions and with flooding, electrical interference and now a blackout of unprecedented levels… Hardly an environment for calm conversations.

"We have a duty of care to Sakura Haruno-"

"It has been nearly a week detective." Chief Nara said sharply. Kakashi sat up straighter, realising what his boss was about to say. "The chances of her being found alive are slim to none."

"So we should just not look?" Genma said back, voice desperate.

"I am saying we need to prioritise." The Chief snapped, picking up the USB. "We have a duty of care to _every_ citizen in Konoha, the _living ones_."

"She could still be alive!" Genma insisted.

Kakashi sighed heavily. He had seen the footage several times after Genma had called him into the station earlier that morning. His partner was kidding himself. No one survived a fall like that. And even if Sakura had survived the initial fall, too much time had passed, and she had most likely already succumbed to her injuries.

He hated knowing that they had been so close to finding her. He knew it was killing Genma just as much as him. They had been on the scene of the crime a few hours after it had happened, but they hadn't looked in the well.

Sakura might have been alive when they were at the compound.

The Chief heaved a sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose tiredly. The office was quiet for a very long time, the station quiet for once, as many of the officers were still out helping with flood efforts. The water might have stopped rising, but it hadn't started to recede, and the power outage wasn't helping efforts.

Genma looked frustrated, dark circles under his eyes and skin pale.

Finally the chief spoke. "What did you find?"

Genma relaxed a little bit. "Sakura filmed Sayaka pushing her down the well. We didn't get footage of her being pushed, but we have a recording of the scuffle that happened beforehand."

The Chief of Police closed his eyes. "That's it?"

"It's fairly damning." Kakashi chimed in tiredly. He lifted the iPad Hayate had given him. It had the footage loaded on it already, and its battery was half charged. "Sayaka appears on the recording after she pushes Sakura."

Shikaku's jaw clenched. "Play it." He ordered.

Kakashi set up the iPad on the desk, ignoring Genma's hovering. His partner was strung so tight Kakashi was surprised he didn't explode. They all needed a proper nights sleep, or they wouldn't be finding anyone.

The footage began. Hayate had done his best to clean it up, but it was still staticky in places, the audio raspy and crackling.

Sakura was filming the well wall, zooming in on a strange, chalky white character drawn crudely on the dark rock. The camera shifted slightly, the sound of fabric brushing against fabric.

And loud thump and the footage jerked violently. Sakura shrieked and dropped the phone. It hit the ground with a sharp, loud crack and then the phone was recording the ceiling of the room.

Sounds of a scuffle. Sakura screamed and there was a fleshy thump as one of the two women hit the other.

The sounds of fighting grew louder, Kakashi could hear both young women panting. One of the girls yelled, but it was too guttural and scared for them to identify which one of them it was. Given the terror in the voice though, it was likely it was Sakura.

"Get off me!" Sakura cried, sounding close to tears.

"Shut up!" Sayaka hissed back.

That made Chief Nara lean forward on the desk, eyes narrow. Kakashi knew it would. Sayaka sounded nothing like the sweet, distraught girl on this recording. She sounded cold and completely unemotional.

"Ino! _Naruto_!" Sakura screamed. She sounded so afraid, Kakashi couldn't help but look away. He couldn't imagine what she must have felt in those moments.

There was a loud crash and the sounds of scrambling. One of the girls hissed in pain.

A slap.

And then the sound of a thump.

A high pitched scream. It echoed strangely, and the cut off with a very faint thud and a yelp.

Chief Nara leaned back, face dark.

"There's…" Genma said nervously, wringing his hands.

Kakashi closed his eyes. The recording didn't get easier to listen to.

The camera jerked and then Sayaka's face loomed over it. She was breathing hard, cheeks flushed with colour and a satisfied smile on her face.

It was a disturbing expression.

She didn't look mad or crazed, like many people might after murdering someone in cold blood. Instead she looked unbearably smug, pupils blown wide with what Kakashi could only describe as exhilaration.

He was sure of it.

Sayaka was a psychopath.

She shook the phone once and then her pretty face twisted in annoyance. The camera rose and then spun in a dizzying arc. It hit the ground with another loud smack and an awful grinding noise echoed through the speakers of the iPad as Sayaka stomped on the phone.

Finally the phone gave up and died.

Kakashi stared at the iPad, displaying a deceptively sleek and innocuous replay symbol. Genma looked exhausted, staring at the table in front of him with thin lips.

The room was quiet for a long minute. Chief Nara leaned forward, rewinding the video, replaying the fall and scream. Then, when Sayaka picked up the phone, he paused the recording, leaving her smiling, satisfied face on the screen.

He stared, eyes narrow.

And then finally, Chief Nara leaned back, folding his arms. "You get that girl in here, right now." He said quietly. "You do not let her leave, I don't care what tricks you have to resort to. She doesn't walk."

"What about Sakura-" Genma started.

Chief Nara shook his head. "The roads up Kosciu Mountain are flooded, the only way there is by boat."

Genma looked frustrated and made faces at Kakashi behind the Chief's back, gesturing violently at their boss.

Kakashi sighed, rolling his eyes. "Sir, even if we can just get a team of climbers up there to get her out. Anything is better than nothing for her parents."

The Chief closed his eyes. "Fine." He snapped. "I'll pay a visit to the suits down at the Hill later. But in the mean time, you two get Yugao and Morino in here to fend of Yono when you call Sayaka down. And you two..." He snarled, narrowing his eyes at them both, "you follow my orders to the T next time or I'll put you both on desk duty."

"Yes sir." They said in unison.

Chief Nara pursed his lips. they all knew that Kakashi Hatake did not follow orders, and where Kakashi went, Genma went too. Albeit unwillingly most times. "Idiots." He snapped, before snatching up his cap and stomping from the room.

"DibsonnotcallingYono." Genma said quickly, as soon as the door closed behind the chief.

Kakashi scowled. "You're a little shit. First you wake me up at two am and now this? I'm gonna start to think you hate me, darling."

Genma punched him in the arm for that.

* * *

Sakura blinked slowly, holding her rock and doing her best to keep putting one foot in front of the other. They had been walking for hours it seemed and she was so tired.

When was the last time she had slept properly?

It seemed an age ago, when she had fallen into that uneasy, fitful sleep in Obito's prison. Even if it had left her rested, she had been dropped into freezing water, walked for what seemed like kilometres and been through more emotional turmoil than she could remember.

"Sakura."

She blinked more rapidly, trying to wake herself up.

Sasuke was standing a little ways from her, looking stern and disinterested in her exhaustion. "You must keep up with me." He barked, striding back to loom over her.

Sakura was too tired to be intimidated by him. "Can we rest, just for a few minutes?" She asked instead, bone weary and wanting nothing more than to sleep forever and never wake up.

The tall man in front of her scowled. "No. We have to hurry."

"Why?" Sakura whined as he began to walk away. She didn't care that she sounded childish. Sasuke thought her stupid and girlish anyway. "It's not like your brothers are going anywhere." She grumbled rudely.

Sasuke looked at her sharply. "It is not for my benefit." He said cryptically.

Sakura missed Shisui's forthcoming nature and almost wished for his freezing cold cavern. She trudged after Sasuke nonetheless. With a companion, the dark didn't seem so bad, though she still disliked the feeling of emptiness and the unknown at her back.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, but slowly, slowly, Sakura began to lag again. Her eyelids were heavy and her whole body was weary. The dark ground beneath her feet was looking more and more inviting with each step.

"Sakura."

She glared at the ground at Sasuke's imperious bark. "Shut up, you had a thousand years to sleep." She snapped. "I'm tired, you can walk slower." Her last words were distorted by a yawn so wide it made her eyes water. She closed her eyes, screwing up her face in an attempt to dispel the tiredness pressing at her mind.

Something brushed against her hand.

Sakura jumped and then looked down.

Sasuke laced their fingers together. "Keep up." He said, looking down the tunnel, brows furrowed, and mouth set in a frown.

* * *

Homura set down his pen carefully and looked up slowly.

He leaned against the wall of his office, as calculating as the day Homura had drawn the threads of reality itself to bind him and his black powers in that pit of despair and regret. He was dressed as any young man might these days, in a simple black trench coat and jeans, his arms folded, and head bowed.

"I always knew you were a hypocrite _, honoured councilman_ , but to see you here, surrounded by opulence and the material when you so soundly denounced it all those millennia ago, it surprises me." Obito rasped, formerly smooth voice marred by a sharp blade across the throat.

Homura stared at the arrogant Uchiha. "What I chose to do is none of your concern." He said gravely, rising from his seat to stare down the whelp standing in his office.

Obito snarled at him, wordless and furious. "You have not changed. You still stand there and judge when you yourself are guilty."

"What do you want?" Homura asked coldly, hardly in the mood to deal with Obito's prattling. But inside, there was a cold feeling spreading through his stomach.

The Uchiha were free.

Danzo's concerns about the missing girl in the Uchiha compound, they were founded. She was releasing them.

And if his math was correct, she was to reach the last one very soon and that…

Homura had no wish to meet the full might of the six Uchiha again.

"What do I want?" Obito repeated, voice dropping to a harsh whisper. His lips pulled up in a cruel smile. "Nothing from you but your reaction, Homura."

Homura's jaw clenched slightly.

"Your family is quite respected in Konoha." Obito said, trailing his fingers across the plush, upholstered side of one of the leather arm chairs in front of Homura's desk. At his touch, the leather blackened and then cracked, splitting and aging before his eyes. "You have done well to cement such influence among the humans."

"What, do you _want_?!" Homura snapped.

Obito looked up, eyes red and glowing. Wordlessly, he raised a hand and then a heavy duty grey fighter pilot helmet dropped into his palm. The thick pane of black plastic was snapped in places, allowing Homura to see the singed inner padding of the helmet. The oxygen mask hung from the face, hose torn through and limp.

Obito tilted it, just so.

A familiar drawing emblazoned on the side. A small red phoenix, the sigil of his house.

"Your descendant was a talented man." Obito said. "A good man. Strange, considering his ancestor."

Homura stared at the helmet in horror.

"A shame those things the humans call planes are so susceptible to electrical interference." Obito said, smile widening just a fraction. "An impact from twenty thousand feet… Is that the unit they use now? Well, no matter… He did not inherit your penchant for slipping away from a fight unharmed."

" _What have you done_?!"

Obito shrugged, throwing the helmet onto the desk with a loud clatter. "Nothing more than you deserve." He hissed. "I know it was you who manipulated the humans against Rin, and I will _show you_ how it felt."

The evil being waved his hand, face full of disdain.

" _-ato, Sato! Bail out! Bail out- Sato!"_ A woman ordered, voice echoing from nowhere, sharp and desperate. _"Cap, now!"_

A low grunt of effort. _"It's stuck, the ejector, its stuck!"_ His grandson cried, disembodied voice, terrified.

" _Stall! Pull. Up. Pull. Up. Stall!"_ The plane droned and Homura closed his eyes in pain when he heard something crack.

" _Captain,_ _ **bail now**_ _!"_

" _I can-"_

Obito clicked his tongue, letting the last sound of Homura's grandson fade into the quiet of the room. He tilted his head, eyes searching Homura's face. "Such an unfortunate accident."

Homura lashed out with the last dregs of his power. The energy whipped across the room, ripping one of the chairs clean in half and leaving a rent burnt into the ground and wall. "He was innocent!" He roared.

But Obito was already gone.

Homura looked down at the helmet on his desk, chest heaving.

It was battered, almost to the point of disrepair. It stunk of sweat and soot and he choked on his breath when he saw a tiny splatter of blood on the corner of one of the eyeglasses.

His office was silent.

Then his phone rang.

Homura closed his eyes. It was not a coincidence. Obito had planned it, and was no doubt watching. With unsteady hands, Homura reached for the phone and answered it quietly.

" _Councilman Homura_."

"General Hyuga." He greeted.

" _Councilman Homura, I have heavy news to tell you on this day…_ " General Hyuga started solemnly. _"This morning at 0800, Captain Sato was performing…"_

Homura looked down at his desk, bracing himself against it, no longer listening.

Sato's helmet sat there, silent and accusing.

* * *

"I cannot go past here." Sasuke said quietly, looking down at rock. They had come to the end of the tunnel, and just beyond the lip of the exit they were standing in, plush grass and a beautiful forest. The trees weren't densely packed, but not sparse either, planted wide enough that the trunks grew thick and straight, stretching up and up and up.

And above the trees, the moon.

It was bright white, casting long shadows on the grass.

In the distance, in a little copse of trees, she could see the tiniest fire burning, a beacon. Her next destination. It was a long way away, a trek over rolling hills and through long grass. The thought of that made Sakura feel tired just thinking about it.

Her feet hurt, her eyes stung, and she desperately wanted a long, hot shower.

The fire, bright and warm in the distance, reminded her of Kagami.

And the thought of Kagami made her sag even more. Would this Itachi be as twisty and manipulative as Kagami was? She didn't know if she had it in her for more word games or tricks, her mind was so tired of all the games and lies and half truths that it felt heavy and weighed down.

"Nothing will hurt you." Sasuke said, mistaking her hesitation for fear. He let her hand go, gently, carefully as if she might bolt. He looked across the plain longingly. "Itachi is the kindest of us. You will be safe with him."

That didn't reassure Sakura at all. All of the Uchiha brothers had said she wouldn't be harmed, but Sakura rather thought they were only talking about physically.

Mentally, she was exhausted and stressed beyond belief. She was surprised her hair hadn't gone white from her constant fear and anxiety. "Can you come?" She asked, suddenly loathe to walk alone again.

She hated being alone and even if Sasuke had been incredibly dismissive and cruel to her, he was still a warm presence at her side to chase away the thoughts of darkness and melancholy.

Sasuke shook his head shortly. "Look." He ordered, and then lifted his hand, reaching forward.

His palm met something invisible, much like the barrier she had seen in Obito's prison. It rippled under his touch, white and green and then with a loud snap, a crackle of blue energy rippled up his arm. Sasuke hissed and yanked his arm away and Sakura could see that it had left red tendrils of singed skin in its wake.

Shaking out his arm, Sasuke looked at her pointedly.

Sakura sighed.

As much as Sasuke was an asshole for what he had done to her, company was company and she loathed to be alone again. She had been alone for so much of this ordeal, she just wanted someone to be with her, even if just as a silent friend.

Though, she wasn't sure she could call Sasuke a friend.

She looked at his hand, still close to hers. He had tried to be kind to her after what he had done, holding her hand, listening to her babbling, walking just a little slower to accommodate her exhaustion.

But…

Not a friend.

Not yet.

"I will see you when they are free, Sakura." Sasuke said.

Sakura clutched her rock and began her trek through the thick grass. It was soft underfoot, thick and spongey and her feet sunk into it. It would be wonderful to lie on, but to walk through, it was laborious and tiring.

She reached the bottom of the hill and looked back up at the cave. The opening was a dark, yawning pit and she was terribly confused to see the sheer cliff wall that rose behind her, black and menacing.

She was so confused.

How could there be a forest and a sky in a mountain?

Sasuke was watching her, and he was still like a statue as she waved at him tentatively.

Turning back around, Sakura took and deep breath and resumed walking towards the tiny fire she could see in the distance.

It took hours for Sakura to finally reach the fire. And she sighed in despair when she saw the hill she had to struggle up. Even if the hills were gentle and gradual, they were huge, and Sakura's legs burned grumpily every time she summited one.

Steeling herself and resolving to push on, just a little bit longer, Sakura started up the hill.

It took her a long time get up to the top, but when she did, she found a tiny copse of trees, planted in a rough circle. More thick, plush and almost unnatural green grass grew in between them, dotted with tiny periwinkle coloured wildflowers.

Sakura was too tired to admire them.

The tree burned, smokeless and bright, giving the clearing a warmth that the moonlight on the other trees didn't have.

But the clearing was empty.

Sakura was almost grateful for that.

She didn't think she could handle another Sasuke-esque demon right now, not when she was so tired and muddled. She staggered into the clearing and finding the thickest patch of grass she could, half fell, half knelt down.

Tucking her rock more securely into her sleeve, Sakura flopped onto her side, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. The grass smelled sweet and clean, the air crisp and wonderfully clear.

"Just a few minutes…" She said to herself. And then she would get up and find this Itachi Sasuke had mentioned.

Just a few minutes.

Sakura woke to the smell of green tea. Blinking blearily, she shoved herself up, squinting and hair over her face. Her shoulder ached from where she had been lying on it and she felt sticky and sweaty.

On the grass next to her, a white porcelain plate, gleaming in the moonlight. On it, a small green cup of steaming hot tea. It was innocuous, but Sakura had long since learned not to trust anything in this mountain.

She looked around and startled at the sight of a man, seated under a tree not too far from her. He had dark hair, pulled back in a low ponytail and the same high nose and cheekbones as Sasuke. He was looking at the moon, holding his own tea cup.

In the centre of the clearing, the fire still burned merrily. There was a stack of firewood next to it now.

Sakura sat up, raking her hands through her hair quickly. How long had he been sitting there? Why hadn't she woken up when he'd set the tea next to her? Had she been that tired?

She watched him warily, but he seemed content to watch the moon and stars above, face serene.

"Are you Itachi?" She called from where she was, not touching the cup.

He looked over at her and Sakura was struck by just how exhausted he looked. There were deep circles under his eyes, and his skin was pale from lack of sleep. "I am." He murmured. "And you might be?"

Sakura drew her knees up, wary. This was Sasuke's revered elder brother, the one he had insisted was the kindest of the Uchiha. She would be the judge of that. "Sakura."

Itachi smiled. "Cherry Blossom. How fitting indeed." He murmured, looking at his cup.

Sakura got the distinct feeling he wasn't referring to the odd pink colour of her hair.

Itachi glanced at her briefly. "Do you not like tea?"

Sakura looked down at the little cup beside her. It was very clear that Itachi had left it for her. She tapped a fingernail against the side. After all the tricks and doublespeak she had waded through in the past few days, she wasn't sure if she trusted this tea.

"I have not done anything to it." Itachi said, seeming to notice her hesitation. "I cannot offer you something else unfortunately."

Sakura picked up the cup, not wanting to be rude. It was pleasantly warm under her fingers and she sighed, enjoying the heat that seeped through her palms.

A silence fell over the clearing, but it was an easy one. Sakura didn't feel the need to chatter awkwardly and Itachi seemed very happy to just sit and alternate between sipping his tea and looking up at the moon above.

Sakura followed his gaze, wondering how there could be a moon in a mountain. It was impossible, and yet, there it was, hanging above them, bright and almost unnaturally clear.

She rolled the cup between her palms and then tentatively took a sip.

The tea was sweet, the perfect temperature for drinking and she sighed, gulping it down greedily. She hadn't had anything to drink in god knows how long and before long, the tea cup was nearly empty.

She forced herself to slow down, knowing she would make herself sick if she drank too quickly. Her stomach gurgled grumpily, hunger making itself known with a vengeance and she patted it sadly, missing food just as much as it was.

"I am sorry, there is nothing to eat…" Itachi called from his place across the clearing.

"That's okay." Sakura said. After a moment, "Can… I join you?" She asked, clutching the cup. It felt very awkward and rude to talk to him from so far away, and she hated shouting at someone.

Itachi inclined his head slightly. Sakura picked up the tray and hurried over the plush grass to plop down next to him, putting the porcelain between them. Up close, Itachi was taller than she realised, and he smelled vaguely of something bitter.

"Thank you for the tea." She said when she was settled. She gulped down the last of the tea almost regretfully, already wishing for more. "I haven't had anything to drink for days."

Itachi set his cup down too and Sakura goggled in amazement when both of the empty vessels began to refill, slow and steady, liquid seemingly springing from nowhere. "You are very welcome." He murmured, looking down at the cups with her. "My brothers have not treated you well, it was the least I could do."

"That's amazing!" Sakura gushed, poking the cup.

Itachi chuckled. "In some ways," he murmured, "I suppose it is." He took a deep breath and Sakura looked up at him when he coughed, raspy and restrained, as if he was trying to suppress it.

"You okay?"

He coughed again and then again, until he was hacking and wheezing in a full blown coughing fit. He clapped a hand over his mouth, clutching his stomach and bowing almost double, dark hair falling over his face.

"Itachi!" She cried, scrambling around the tea and reaching for him.

He needed to sit up straight, let airway into his lungs-

Itachi waved her away, turning away so that his face was hidden from her. He coughed a few more times, horrible shuddering things that sounded like they were dragged from his chest. Sakura winced in sympathy, hands hovering over his shoulder but not quite touching.

Slowly, his coughing subsided, and he took a few great, shaking breaths, raspy and wheezy. He leaned on the grass, still turned away from her. "I apologise." He wheezed.

Sakura leaned so she could peek at his face. "Are you alright? Do you need something to drink?"

Itachi chuckled. "That, Sakura, is the last thing I need." He said cryptically. He sat up, shaking his hair out of his face. "Please, I am alright."

Sakura sat back, not quite convinced. The attack had come out of nowhere and she doubted very heavily that centuries old god things got sick or had afflictions like asthma. But she didn't press the issue, feeling that Itachi would only wave away her concern again.

So instead, she just sat back on her heels and tried not to make it obvious she was hovering. Judging from Itachi's amused smile, she wasn't doing a very job. She tried to find something to say. "It's very peaceful here." She said dumbly, looking around at the grass and trees that surrounded them.

Even the moon above was rather relaxing. It was a welcome change from the doom and gloom of the past few days and she hadn't realised how much she had missed being able to see the sky.

Itachi followed her gaze upwards. "Indeed."

"Is it real?" Sakura asked, looping her arms around her knees. It couldn't be, could it? There were no fields like this in Konoha, at least, not without driving for a few hours. Not to mention the moon didn't even seem to have moved while she was asleep.

"No. It's a clever illusion." Itachi said, matter of fact and firm.

Sakura smiled. "Well it's a lot nicer than the other places I've been the past few days." She murmured, remembering Sasuke's vision and Shisui's freezing cold pool. Even the white blankness of Obito's prison had been jarring and unsettling. "Not much of a prison." She continued, reaching for her cup of tea.

"Not that one!" Itachi barked sharply, snatching cup away from her before she could touch it. He yanked it away quickly, so quickly, that some of the deep purple liquid sloshed over the edge and splashed onto his hand.

Sakura yelped and cringed away from Itachi, nervous that she had truly offended him. And then she goggled when the splash of liquid that had sloshed over the edge began to steam and hiss. The skin of his hand began to redden and Itachi hissed, wiping his hand on his shirt quickly.

"What-" Sakura reached for Itachi, and then pulled back, not wanting to touch him without permission. "Are you okay?"

Itachi scrubbed his hand on his shirt and then with surprising swiftness, hid it under his long sleeve. "I am fine."

Sakura eyed his hidden hand skeptically. "Because I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. I have some experience with surface burns, steam burns and stuff, I can help. I mean, I don't have access to any burn cream, but I'm sure I could find some cold water or something."

Itachi looked over at her, brows furrowed. He had such a strange look on his face, one that Sakura didn't quite understand.

Sakura blinked and fidgeted awkwardly when he didn't say anything. She really hoped she hadn't managed to say something offensive, though, given the fact that he was supposedly over a thousand years old, it wouldn't surprise her.

Finally, he smiled. "I am quite alright, Sakura."

"Are you sure? Because it'll only be a little, and those little burns can get infected if you don't keep them clean." Sakura insisted, glancing down at his hands. "If you like, I can walk you through how to do it if you don't want me touching you."

Itachi shook his head, still smiling. "It will heal with time." He murmured.

Sakura deflated a little bit. She had hoped he would say yes. She always worried when people got hurt and just tried to muscle through it unnecessarily.

Itachi lifted the cup to his lips.

Sakura squeaked and then grabbed his sleeve without thinking. "Uh, are you sure you should be drinking that?" She asked quickly. Itachi's dark eyes were big and curious. "It burned your hand, just from touching it, and now you want to drink it?"

Itachi blinked slowly, glancing down at the cup.

Sakura let go of him, hoping she hadn't crossed a boundary by touching him. The severe reaction to her accidentally reaching for his cup had indicated to her that he might not like touch, at least, not unexpected ones.

"I do not want to drink it." He said finally. "But I must."

That made no sense.

Sakura squinted at the cup. "If you don't want to drink it, then who is going to make you?" She asked, not really expecting an answer. While so far, he had been kinder than Sasuke, Itachi didn't strike her as the talkative type.

He hummed quietly, swirling the cup around. Sakura eyed the liquid warily, worried that it might slosh over and burn him again. He was still keeping his burned hand tucked under his sleeve, but Sakura wagered that it stung quite badly.

"Why did it burn you?" Sakura asked, peering at the innocuous purple liquid inside. "Are you allergic?"

Itachi simply poured the liquid out onto the grass and with a hiss, the grass died. The liquid ate through the delicate green strands, burning away at them and leaving an acrid smell lingering in the air. Where there had once been green grass, there was only brown and black, withered strands now.

Sakura scrambled away, eyes big.

Itachi had been drinking this stuff? It had just killed a patch of grass in seconds. She looked up at him in horror as he lifted the cup to his mouth again.

She lunged without thinking, snatching his arm and keeping him from sipping on the liquid that had begun to refill the porcelain cup. "Don't drink it!"

"As I said, I must." Itachi said. "It is quite alright."

"Why?" Sakura demanded, refusing to let go of the poison filled cup. "If you know it will hurt you, why are you drinking it?!"

Itachi looked at her for a long time, face blank. "Do you have family, Sakura?" He asked quietly.

"Of course."

"And friends whom you care deeply for?" Itachi pressed.

"Yes." Sakura didn't see where this was going.

"Do you wonder why my prison is so peaceful compared to my brothers'?" Itachi asked suddenly, almost giving Sakura whiplash from how quickly he had changed subjects. "You said it yourself, it was peaceful, almost enjoyable."

Sakura didn't understand.

"My prison is one of choice." Itachi murmured, pulling the cup very gently away from her. "My captor gave me a choice, drink this and be sure that my brothers would not have to suffer its ill effects, be sure that while imprisoned, they would not be harmed." He tilted the porcelain cup this way and that, the thick, viscous liquid almost brimming over the top. "Or leave and know that I had condemned them to agony for eternity."

Sakura recoiled slightly, mouth agape. She stared at Itachi, unable to find anything to say.

He could… He could leave, but he chose not to? He was poisoning himself whenever that cup refilled itself, so his brothers wouldn't get hurt?

Itachi hummed and then in one swift movement, tipped the cup back and drained it in one gulp. "There was no choice. And he knew that."

He set the cup down with a quiet click.

And as soon as he did, it began to refill.

* * *

Kana hummed happily as she walked down the street, carrying her shopping. She had spent the day browsing the High Street shops and she'd found a wonderful little corset crop top that would go wonderfully with her new jeans.

She'd picked up some new skin care to try out and her leather jacket would be delivered that night, just in time for dinner with General Shimura.

She saw the car General Shimura had bought from her down the street, gleaming darkly in the late afternoon sun and dug around in her expensive purse for her keys. Frowning when she couldn't feel them, Kana paused, glancing around to search through her purse more thoroughly.

As she was, someone slammed into her, knocking her clean off her feet and making her drop all of her bags. "Ow!" She yelped when the same person landed heavily on top of her. "Ow! Get off me!"

"Oh god, I'm so sorry-" The man cried, hauling himself off her and scrabbling around on the sidewalk.

Kana sat up, glaring angrily at him. "Watch where you're going!" She snapped, snatching up her things and shoving herself up furiously. Being knocked over by some idiot was not her idea of a good time. "Jesus Christ, dude."

"I'm so sorry, miss." The man apologised quickly, still on his knees and patting the ground quickly, as if looking for something. "I honestly didn't mean to, I didn't see you-"

Kana felt like a complete bitch when she saw the long white cane not too far away from where they had fallen. Setting down her things, she stooped and picked it up. "Hey," She called, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "Here."

The man looked up at her, dark Raybans askew on his nose. She could see that his eyes were closed behind the glasses and she felt absolutely awful for yelling at him. He smiled at her, or in her general direction, whole face lighting up.

He was strikingly handsome, with thick, tousled hair, dark like her own and cheekbones to die for. He was dressed well too, in a light blue denim jacket and black jeans. She wondered if someone else picked his clothes for him.

She pressed the cane into his hand, wishing she could take her earlier words back. "I'm so sorry for shouting at you." She apologised, helping him up and hovering to make sure he was okay. "I didn't know you were…"

"Blind?" The man quipped cheerily. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean it."

Kana smiled at him. "Are you okay?" She asked.

He patted his pockets with his free hand. "All in one piece." He said briskly. "Though, I should be asking you that, since I'm the one who landed on you."

Kana laughed, scooping up her bags again. "No harm done." She said. "I'm Kana."

The man smiled widely, holding out his hand. "Shisui."

* * *

"Itachi?"

Itachi hummed quietly, reclining against the tree after the last coughing fit had subsided. There was no colour in his face and his eyes were dull and half closed. His lips were pale and bloodless, and Sakura had definitely seen the scarlet blood on his lips and tongue before he had wiped it away.

Like the last time, he had turned away from her, trying to hide.

"You won't listen to me if I ask you not to drink that again, will you?" Sakura asked, holding her knees tightly.

Itachi shook his head. "I cannot risk it. Even if you have freed them, while the curse on this mountain still stands, there is still a chance that my not drinking this will hurt them." He glared down at the cup and then with a scowl, took a deep drink.

Sakura stared at the cup he had cradled in his hands. "Throw it away, Itachi, it's killing you." She begged. "Please, I'll give you whatever it takes to free you!"

Itachi frowned. "Be careful what you say, Sakura."

"It's hurting you!"

"Another might hold you to that promise and ask of you, something you cannot give." Itachi warned, rolling the cup between his palms. "Do not promise away your freedom."

"Then what, what will it take for you to be free of this? What can I do to help?" Sakura asked desperately, pulling herself closer to him and spreading her hands wide in helplessness.

Itachi stared at her for a long time, a considering look on his face. "Surely the others have revealed our true nature?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Sakura looked down.

They had. Numerous times and Sakura wasn't stupid. She knew that they weren't… good or benevolent creatures. She had seen Obito kill a village for seemingly no reason, heard his vow to make humanity pay. She had heard Shisui's hatred when he'd spoken of his prison, of the man who had taken his eyes.

She had lived Sasuke's cruelty.

She knew they were bad, evil beings.

But sitting here, watching Itachi suffer so plainly out of a desire to keep his family safe, it tore at her. He was so clearly in pain and watching him cough and hack, hunched over and shaking, it felt awful. She couldn't just watch him in such pain, not when there was something she could do.

"Shisui said I had to give something to free you, but this prison, if it is one of choice… then what…"

Itachi tilted his head back, sighing deeply. "You are far too kind, Sakura." He murmured.

"Yeah, that's the point apparently." Sakura said grumpily. She crawled a little closer to him. "Please let me help."

Itachi coughed, leaning back and closing his eyes. He set the cup aside quickly, so it wouldn't spill on him and almost immediately after he did so, he was coughing again.

This time, Sakura definitely saw blood bubbling past his lips. "Goddammit!" She hissed, scuttling forward and grabbing Itachi by the shoulders as he started to list to the side. Looping an arm under his arms, Sakura hoisted him up as best she could, leaning him back against the tree.

Itachi shuddered, hand pressed against his mouth, eyes closed, and brow wrinkled in pain.

Sakura left his side for a moment, snatching up that stupid cup and hurling it as far away from them as she could.

Itachi made a harsh choking noise and Sakura spun around, grass squeaking under her knees. His hand was still clapped over his mouth, blood leaking out from between his fingers and Sakura felt his next cough in her own chest.

It was deep and raw, sounding as if it had been dragged out of his chest unwillingly.

He needed to sit up straight, so he could breathe properly.

She sat next to him, putting a hand on his back and rubbing it vigorously. She kept her touch as gentle as she could, hoping to comfort him, just a little. "Itachi, Itachi, I need you to sit up for me okay. Straight back…"

He listened to her, allowing her to guide him upright. His coughing fit had started to subside, as they always did, and Sakura sat next to him the whole time, rubbing his back and trying to tell him encouraging things.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Itachi slumped back against the tree, wheezing painfully.

Sakura hated whoever had come up with this stupid prison. It seemed so awfully, unnecessarily cruel.

She helped him sit up, and pulling her sleeve over her hand, dabbed at the perspiration on his forehead. she hated that she didn't have a tissue or towel, especially because her clothes had to be sweaty, stinky messes by now.

Itachi swallowed, eyes closed. Sakura stripped of her jacket altogether when she saw the blood on his lips and hand, mixed with phlegm. It was so dirty and disgusting that she reasoned, what was a little blood.

She wiped his hand gently, and then cleaned up his face before tossing the jacket aside. She couldn't wear it now, and in the plain, it was rather temperate, almost pleasantly warm.

"Just relax." She murmured, when Itachi tried to get up. "Please, just sit for a little bit, okay? You've barely recovered from the last one."

There was a _tink_ from behind her and Sakura turned, confused. Her jacket was behind her, and it had landed on something, caught on it.

"It cannot be lost." Itachi rasped.

Sakura turned around and looked at him in confusion. He shook his head at her, before closing his eyes again and reclining against the tree. Getting no help from him, Sakura turned back to her jacket, and quick as she could, yanked it whatever it had landed on.

The cup sat in the grass, in one piece and brimming with clear fluid.

"What?!" She snapped, clutching her jacket to her chest.

"I have tried to destroy it." Itachi murmured, leaning past her, shoulder brushing against her. He tilted his head slightly. "It seems that destroying it was the wrong path to take…" He said quietly, to himself.

Sakura snatched at his wrist in a panic when he reached for the cup. "Itachi, not again, please, it's hurting you!"

Itachi smiled at her and the looked down at his wrist, where her fingers were wrapped around the pale skin there. "I think it will be okay this time." He murmured.

Sakura could only watch in horror when he picked up the cup, and after a moment of staring at the clear liquid, took a small sip.

Itachi smiled, wide and happy. "Water." He said. "It is water."

* * *

"How do we know this footage is real?" Yono said silky smooth and deadpan. "From this report, it seems like an unknown witness gave you a phone. No statement was taken from him, not even a name." She looked up at Kakashi, eyes half lidded. "For all we know, this phone belongs to another person altogether."

"She calls out for Naruto and Ino, both of whom were present at the scene of her disappearance." Morino countered easily. "I think we have a reasonable expectation that this is Sakura Haruno's phone."

"How lucky that it appears." Yono snapped back.

Morino's eyes narrowed. "It places your client at the scene, and directly contradicts her story of Sakura running away."

"She was frightened, and as you well know, Councillor Morino, traumatic events tend to distort the memory." The blonde woman was a statue, completely unperturbed and unmoved. Unlike Mei, who was all sly smiles and mysterious eyes, Yono was still and quiet, almost like a predator.

"Regardless of her account being distorted or not." Morino started, spreading his hands wide on the table and pinning the shivering Sayaka with a glare that Kakashi could feel from across the room. "Sakura and Sayaka got into a fight, and now, Sakura is missing. You are aware of how that looks, aren't you, Ms. Yono?"

"So she ran away. Young women are fickle. It happens." Yono said, shuffling her papers. "Whether she is safe or not has nothing to do with Sayaka."

"Doesn't it?" Yugao asked, matching the cadence and rhythm of Yono's own voice down the T. "We know they scuffled physically… Which, remind me again Ms. Yono, what crime is that?"

Yono looked infinitesimally frustrated, which in her books, meant she was royally pissed off. "I'm moving to have the video dismissed. The validity of the source cannot be verified." She said, voice rising ever so slightly for the first time.

Sayaka looked up, eyes wide and face pale.

After hearing the video, seeing that crazed expression on her face in it, Kakashi was rather creeped out by her startling change in personality. Now that he knew there was something fundamentally wrong with the young woman, he didn't believe her act for a second.

"Can't it?" Yugao pressed, a slight smile on her face. Morino looked supremely smug, sitting back and allowing his apprentice to take the lead.

Kakashi could see why Hayate liked her now.

"You paused the video halfway through." Yugao continued, pulling the laptop back to herself and with a triumphant look at Yono, pressed play once more.

Sakura's scream echoed through the room once more and then cut off with a high pitched yelp.

Genma flinched.

Yono's eyes narrowed.

Sayaka squeezed her eyes shut, hunching her shoulders and shaking her head a few times.

"Watch." Morino said to Yono, though Kakashi didn't believe his word was directed at her at all.

The recording was quiet and dark for a moment and then, with a harsh scraping noise, the camera jolted and then lifted off the ground. The well appeared for a split second, just in one corner. The cover had been tossed aside.

Sayaka's face came into view.

Like every other time Kakashi had seen the recording, chills ran down his spine at her smug, satisfied expression.

She looked only a little thrilled, unnaturally calm after having shoved another woman down a well.

The camera jerked wildly and then Sayaka screwed up her face in exasperation.

Yono flinched when her client flung the phone on the ground, and for a few seconds, the interrogation room was filled with nothing but the sound of Sayaka stomping on the phone, again and again and again.

The real Sayaka burst into tears, shoving away from the table and nearly toppling off her chair in a desperate bid to get away from the iPad. She turned away, folding in on herself with a loud wail, dark hair covering her face.

Yono jumped, looking down at her young client and then with practiced swiftness, paused the recording once more. She scowled at Yugao and Morino before turning to put a hand on Sayaka's shaking shoulder. "Sayaka, _Sayaka_ , it's alright."

Sayaka made a muffled choking noise. "I didn't do that!" She wailed. "I didn't, I didn't, I didn't! That's not me!"

Morino leaned forward, obviously sensing blood in the water. "Sure looks like you, Ms. Watanabe. Who else could it be? Sakura's missing so it can't be her and unless Ino had a wig and some contact lenses, well it couldn't be her either."

"An evil twin perhaps? An alien?" Yugao chimed in mildly, examining her nails. "A clone?"

"Stop it!" Sayaka cried. "That girl in the video, it isn't me, I swear! I didn't push Sakura, I didn't!"

"Well then _who did_?" Morino wanted to know.

Kakashi almost felt bad for the girl. Watching Morino and Yugao go in on her, it was ruthless and callous. They didn't care that she was crying, they were just calculating the best way to get a confession out of her.

But Sayaka's behaviour…

It was…

So real.

It was nothing like the practiced ease of her previous interviews, where her acting had been stellar, but dispassionate, it was miles from the smug, satisfied air of the girl in the video.

"Fucking bipolar." Genma muttered from his place next to Kakashi.

Kakashi got kicked in the ankle by Yugao for that one and his dark glare at being punished for his partner's words went unnoticed by the three snarling lawyers.

"Who pushed Sakura, Ms Watanabe?" Morino demanded, voice rising in pitch, but only slightly. "If it wasn't you, then who is on that video?"

"I don't know!"

"Enough!" Yono snapped, rising from her chair, hand on Sayaka's shoulder protectively. "She is clearly in no position to answer questions and to allow this questioning to go on would put her in danger of being coerced into confessing."

"We have evidence." Yugao snapped.

"She is clearly distraught!" Yono snarled back, composure cracking.

Kakashi saw the tiniest bit of doubt in Yono's face for the first time.

The video had spooked her.

"And I think you'll find the Crown very interested to know that the Konoha Police Department continued to question a witness-"

"Suspect." Genma growled.

"-even after she was clearly not in the right state of mind to give coherent, clear answers." Yono said, chin rising imperiously. "I need time to calm her down and then we will be leaving."

"That's not happening." Morino said sharply. "She's a suspect, the prime suspect in a missing persons case and given the nature of this video, I can argue that she's a murder suspect. I have probable cause to hold her and Sarutobi will agree with me."

"Will he, when he sees where your detective got this information?" Yono countered calmly.

Kakashi scowled, hating that his incompetence was coming back to bite them in the ass.

"We can find out." Morino hissed. " _She stays_."

Yono inhaled in disgust and then, jaw working in frustration, she sat back down. "Allow me time to calm her." She bargained.

Morino snatched up the file. "You can have as much time as you like, Samui. But this questioning _will_ resume and anymore outbursts and we all go and visit the honourable Sarutobi."

Yono looked positively murderous, which meant that her lips were only slightly turned down. "Get out."

Yugao rose. "Ms. Yono." She said primly. And with that, she and Morino swept out of the room, completely in sync and leaving Kakashi and Genma to scramble after them stupidly. They went next door, to the viewing room, in order to watch the interactions between the two women.

"Get them something to drink." Morino barked.

"Sir?" Genma asked, looking bewildered and rumpled.

Morino smiled grimly. "The video threw them both, we can work with that. We need Sayaka off balance and out of the perfect little shell of hers. A deputy reminds her exactly where she is." He said.

Kakashi grimaced.

He hated lawyers. They were always playing some sort of game in order to one up each other. He found it intolerable.

Genma ducked out for a moment to shout for one of the few deputies that had come in to man the station while the rest were out trying to keep the city from descending into some sort of religious doomsayer chaos.

A moment later and a short deputy strode into the room, hat pulled down over his eyes and holding a brimming cup of water. Kakashi saw the name badge.

Akiyama

He frowned.

Wasn't Akiyama taller than that?

They watched as Yono tried to calm Sayaka down. The young woman's eyes were blown out wide, her mouth gasping and her hands clutching at the table and chair desperately.

The deputy stood a little ways from them, clutching the water awkwardly. It was very clear he was a fish out of water in the room with one of the most vicious lawyers in the city and the girl that had set the station abuzz with rumours of psychopathy and comparisons to Orochimaru.

Yono snapped her fingers at him. "Here, help me get her on the ground."

Deputy Akiyama jumped and then, half spilling the glass of water as he set it down, hurried over to help Yono with a listing Sayaka. The girl was whimpering now, hiccupping and sobbing and half choking on each breath.

The deputy helped Yono ease Sayaka up out of her chair. Sayaka was pale and gasping, clutching at Yono and tears leaking from wide eyes. It was a phenomenal performance, one so good that Kakashi couldn't help but question whether she was faking or not.

Could someone fake a panic attack that well?

He was beyond confused.

Was it possible that Sayaka was truly distraught about what she had seen? Had seeing it brought home exactly what had gone on that night? It wasn't unheard of for people to black out under extreme stress and not remember anything that had happened, but Kakashi hadn't even considered that as a possibility, sure Sayaka had been faking her reactions.

But this…

This couldn't be an act, could it?

The two set the young woman against the wall, the deputy crouching down to guide her down. Yono backed off, going back to collect the glass of water on the table while Akiyama helped Sayaka sit up straight and began to coach her through breathing.

Kakashi couldn't hear the deputy, but Sayaka obviously could, because as soon as he spoke, her head snapped up and around to stare at him.

Sayaka's eyes widened, just fractionally. She blinked a few times, obviously not listening to what Akiyama was saying at all.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, leaning forward, hands braced on the table.

Akiyama turned his head to say something to Yono, and Sayaka tilted her head to follow his face, searching for something there. His hat, normally never worn inside, blocked his face and Kakashi tilted his head.

Something wasn't right.

And then, just like that, like a switch had been flipped somewhere in Sayaka's brain, her expression cleared.

No more crying, no more shaking, no more pale face and heaving chest. Instead her expression deadened into cool indifference, her eyes sliding half shut and red lips closing in a line of boredom.

Just… Nothing.

Yono stopped dead in her tracks, clutching the water in her hand.

For the first time in all the years Kakashi had known the woman, she looked genuinely frightened.

Kakashi didn't blame her.

The change in personality, the complete void of emotion or anything on Sayaka's face, just how quickly her act had dropped.

It was terrifying.

People didn't just snap out of a panic attack like that. It didn't happen, and yet, here Sayaka sat, completely unaffected and drying her tears from her cheeks like nothing had happened.

 _An act._

It had all been an act.

Sayaka looked up at Yono, bored.

The deputy rose from his crouched position, turning to look at the mirror with a smile.

It was the man.

The one who had given Kakashi Sakura's phone.

Kakashi choked, eyes wide. His hand slipped off the table and he stumbled, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the man.

Under his police cap, Kakashi could see dark hair pressed over a pale forehead. Catlike eyes, brimming with mysterious amusement stared back at Kakashi.

 _It was him._

"What the Hell did Akiyama do?" Genma asked incredulously. "She calmed right down as soon as he touched her."

Kakashi blinked, inhaling sharply.

And suddenly he wasn't looking at the dark haired, short man that had given him the phone, but lanky, dorky Akiyama. The stupid looking recruit flipped them a thumbs up, and then with an oblivious goodbye to a pale Yono, traipsed out of the room.

Sayaka watched the deputy walk away. She cocked her head and then turned to look at the two way mirror and smiled.

It wasn't a nice smile.

"Pushing someone isn't a crime." She said, folding her arms. She looked almost smug, a mirror image of the girl in the video. She was just waiting for someone to contradict her.

The door clicked shut behind Akiyama.

Kakashi skidded out the door of the viewing room, ignoring Genma's shout of surprise. Akiyama was striding away, arms swinging, and cap tilted slightly.

Kakashi reached out to grab his shoulder, spinning the young man around jerkily.

"Whoa- Oh! Detective!"

Searching Akiyama's face, Kakashi tried to find any trace of the man who had given him the phone in his features. But Akiyama was tan and blue eyed, with floppy blonde hair.

But Kakashi had seen him.

He had.

"Is everything alright, Detective?" Akiyama wanted to know, wringing his hands nervously. He smiled widely at Kakashi, obviously wondering if he was in trouble.

"How weird." Someone commented. "Look at the flagpole."

"Ayame, get away from the window and do some work. We've got a backlog a mile long after that blackout and you're standing around wasting time." Someone else snapped but it had been enough to get Kakashi's attention.

He let go of Akiyama, looking out the window with a sinking feeling.

The trees outside were swaying with the wind, and on the canine kennels across the street, he could see the flag on the pole waving and snapping. The open windows let the breeze in and someone hissed at the freezing temperature of it.

"Detective Hatake-"

The flag and trees suddenly stopped moving, the wind dying out of nowhere. The flag dropped, hanging down as if it were in a vacuum.

"What the hell?" Someone asked, and more and more of the deputies and officers rose to stare out the window.

The air was dead, the cold wind gone. The trees didn't move, and the sun moved behind a cloud. The flag was still.

All of it, unnatural still.

Something was coming.

And then, with a howl that sounded frighteningly human, the wind picked up, slamming the trees to the side. The flag of the Konoha Police snapped upright, flapping violently. Leaves and branches snapped off of the trees and Kakashi saw an umbrella fly by the window.

Something hit the window with a loud crack and Kakashi flinched back.

A bird. It was quite obviously dead, but it didn't fall, instead pinned to the window by the gusts of wind tearing by. The wind was so loud, it sounded like a hurricane had hit Konoha, howling and screaming and groaning.

The temperature in the station dropped and Kakashi knew what he would find when he looked to the East, where the mountain stood.

The sky was red.

* * *

Kagami is playing 4d chess, Obito is angery, Itachi needs a hug and Shisui is doing bad things. Sasuke is... off moping (probably).

Sorry for the disjointedness of the chapter, I had some issues trying to shorten Itachi's bit down to not being the WHOLE FUCKING THING and I ended up having to change the concept altogether to save my brain from melting.

I hope you all enjoyed and if you want, leave me some feedback!


	7. Day 7: War Dance

Rewrote Madara's prison to more accurately reflect what I wanted for him and his powerset. This was also the original idea for his prison, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to go about writing it and first drafts were awful. This new version is what I intended and I'm pretty proud of it tbh.

Like I said, the prisons reflect the powers the Uchiha's have. It's pretty obvious what Madara's is.

Be warned, there is heavy violence in here, so if that is something you don't want to read, feel free to PM for a sanitised breakdown.

The re-written part starts from 'Sakura kept running, glancing over her shoulder for fear that the darkness would catch her.' About a quarter of the way down if you don't want to re-read the whole chapter.

Enjoy.

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 7: War Dance

Kakashi surveyed the small team Chief Nara had managed to cobble together for him and Genma. It was a ragtag group to be sure, but it was better than nothing.

Genma was busy bothering the paramedic they had pinched from Konoha General, following the tan man around like a little duckling. Kakashi would think it was funny if it wasn't his partner. Instead, it was just embarrassing.

The rescue team the Chief had managed to get in was from Kumo, visiting and now stuck in the city until the main roads could be reopened. It had been nice of them to volunteer, though Kakashi suspected it had something to do with the Raikage being Captain Minato's close friend.

"Are we ready to go?" Darui, the military sniper turned climbing instructor, asked, chewing on an old lollipop stick.

Kakashi wondered what it was with lollipops and grown men.

Did he miss a class in school or something?

"Yeah." Kakashi said, shaking his head. He finished tying down the last bag of gear they'd requisitioned. The grunt in the borrowed coast guard boat sighed, shoving Kakashi's hands away and redoing it himself. "I'll go and save that paramedic from my partner."

"Omoi, Karui, stop arguing-"

"What if it's a sign, boss-"

"It's not a sign, Omoi! Stop being such a baby and get in the boat!"

"But my horoscop-" The younger of the two climbers, a nervous young man with a shock of white blond hair, squealed as his partner shoved him bodily into the rescue boat.

Karui, the other climber, rolled her eyes and hopped down after him.

Kakashi smiled. They were a weird bunch. They'd fit in nicely with him and Genma.

Speaking of…

"Genma, stop harassing the poor man!" He called, snatching his partner by the elbow. The paramedic, a coolly collected man by the name of Iruka smiled wanly at him, black duffle bag slung over one shoulder. "Sorry, he hasn't had his meds this morning."

Iruka's smile faded quickly and then he wasn't focused on Kakashi anymore, instead looking Genma over with clinical eyes. "What medications-"

Genma elbowed him in the side. "Shut up!" He smiled at Iruka. "He's just trying to make a joke."

Iruka looked between them. "Oh."

"Sorry, sorry, go ahead, I didn't mean to keep you here talking." Genma said hurriedly, waving the other man over to the black rescue dinghy, where Omoi and Karui were in another heated argument. Omoi was trying to show Karui something on his phone, eyebrows creased with worry.

Darui was sunbathing, apparently asleep.

"You good?" Kakashi said, snatching Genma's arm before his partner could walk away.

As much as he picked on the uptight idiot, he did care about Genma. They were best friends, and he trusted Genma with his life. His partner was taking this case too hard, and no matter how well he hid it from other people, Kakashi could tell.

Genma looked at him for a moment. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said.

"You're not." Kakashi snapped. "Genma, you need to know what we're going to find up there."

His partner looked distressed for a moment. "I'm not an idiot, Kakashi." He said. "I know. _I'm fine_."

Kakashi wasn't convinced, but they didn't have time to argue about it. They only had a four hour window before they needed to be off the mountain and it was already close to midday. If they left it any later, they'd be transporting a body and six people in the dark. Not an ideal situation on a flooded river.

He followed Genma back to the boat. He had a feeling he'd need to corner his partner later on and physically drag him off to the gym or a restaurant or something.

Maybe a nice bar.

* * *

Sakura missed the cool grass and lush trees of Itachi's prison. It had been the least horrifying and stressful of all of the prison. At least there, she didn't feel like she might be attacked or killed at any minute, and she had been able to sleep, relax, calm down just a little bit.

By contrast, the desert that she was walking through was hot and smoky, dust clogging the air and turning the white moon a rusty red.

She paused, glancing behind her. She could see the demarcation of where Itachi's prison lay behind her. It was a stark difference, seeing the green grass and gently rolling hills behind her, dotted with tall trees and cheery bushes.

Itachi had told her that once she stepped into Madara's domain, she couldn't come back, but Sakura thought maybe he was just saying that to scare her. She knew that Itachi wanted his brother freed and had been cautious of all of the cute, innocuous stories he had shared with her about his brothers.

"… _mother was most displeased when she learned what Sasuke had done, she threatened to hang him off a tree by his shirt-"_

" _Shisui enjoys talking to people… It often gets him into trouble…"_

" _Chess? It sounds like something I might like to try-"_

She knew that those stories were meant to endear the Uchiha to her. But it was just a little too on the nose. The more he told her, the more she began to think about just… not, letting the last Uchiha out.

She had known for a long time that the Uchiha were not benevolent gods locked down here by jealous humans. Obito's rage had been present for humans for a long time, ever since he had destroyed that village. No god did that, not a good one anyway.

Sakura clutched the rock from Shisui. But Shisui had… he had promised her he wouldn't hurt anyone, and Itachi had seemed sweet as well.

Perhaps they weren't all bad-

She shook her head immediately. She knew that wasn't true. Shisui might have promised not to hurt anyone, but she still remembered the way he'd talked about his prison, the venom in his voice. And Itachi… No man took what he had endured lying down.

And if she didn't let them out, then she would never go home, she would die down here.

What about the people they might hurt? A part of her demanded, what about them? How could she let them free when she knew that people would die? Was she that selfish to think that her life was more important than theirs? One life could never stand above hundreds.

Sakura bit her lip, thinking.

Another part of her was terrified of dying, begging her to just find the last one. Because it wasn't her fault that Sayaka and the Uchiha's were bad people, was it? And if she died down here, she wouldn't be able to help anyone at all-

She shook her head violently, trying to dispel the thoughts. They had been swirling around her brain ever since she had left Itachi behind. Around and around they went, disparate and pulling her different directions.

Sakura slowed and then turned to look at the line of green grass and trees behind her. She looked back at the desolate wasteland and then made up her mind.

She was done being a pawn in someone else's game. She might die down here, of starvation or lack of water, but surely that was better than being responsible for the deaths of other people.

Mind made up, Sakura stomped back towards Itachi's prison. If she was going to die, she was going to do it in the peace and quiet of Itachi's prison- where she could lie down-

Sakura gasped, steps faltering when the green line of Itachi's prison fell away, the trees dying and curling up into jagged, pained looking shells of themselves. The grass turned brown and then black, and then into dust. The rolling hills heaved, tearing themselves apart and she could hear the crash and groan of the trees falling.

It collapsed in on itself and she was reminded suddenly of Kagami's mirror and how that had destroyed itself as well.

The rolling hills and the sharp cliff face even further beyond them began to be absorbed by darkness. It rolled over the dead land, consuming everything in its path. It surged over the dead trees, picking them up and turning them into sticky, black tar.

On and on it oozed, clawing and creeping across the ground.

Sakura expected it to stop where the red wasteland started, but it didn't.

Instead, it flowed on, displacing rock and dragging them back into its depths. She could hear a loud hissing and she stumbled back a step, afraid.

It was moving quicker now, and Sakura didn't have the resolve to let it just eat her.

So she turned tail and ran, heart thrumming frantically under her ribs and legs shaking with hunger and exhaustion. She glanced over her shoulder, terrified of being absorbed by the darkness rushing towards her.

It was keeping pace with her, so Sakura forced herself to run faster.

The ground was uneven, pockmarked with craters and dips and it made Sakura stumble several times, thighs burning. It was slowing her down, but the thick dust made it difficult to see where any holes might be.

On and on it chased her over the dusty ground. She could feel a chill coming off of it and whenever she looked behind her, there was just darkness, eating away at the ground, making it fall away into chucks of sticky tar.

She remembered the mud and felt terror choking her.

She pumped her legs faster, for once, grateful for the training she put herself through. Her body, though exhausted and hungry, easily fell into the rhythm of running along. She didn't enjoy the jolts of hunger or how pockmarked the ground was, but it was better than being swallowed alive.

Sakura kept running, glancing over her shoulder for fear that the darkness would catch her.

Her foot landed on something solid, not sand. Sakura stumbled, confused, and when she looked around, she wasn't running through a featureless desert, but instead through a ruined city. A city that was on fire, that was crumbling around her-

Something whistled overhead and Sakura looked up in terror. The sky was blue, but a sickly, grey kind of blue, from the haze and smoke. When she looked behind her, there was no darkness chasing her, only the ruined street of a city.

"Drone!" Someone screamed.

Sakura was thrown forward, barely managing to stay on her feet when something exploded behind her. The shockwave felt it like was crushing her lungs, and the heat of the explosion seared her shoulders and arms. She screamed, collapsing.

"No, no, don't fall!" Some cried, high pitched and terrified.

A small, wet hand grabbed at her shoulder, her bicep, her hand. "Up, up, hurry, oh hurry!" They blubbered.

Sakura staggered upright, and she gasped in horror at the sight of the tiny boy, maybe four or five. He was covered in dirt and there was blood on his head. He was so small, dark haired and dark skinned, eyes huge in his dusty face. "Oh god, oh god, there are children here!?"

"Run!" Someone roared from behind them and Sakura and the boy ducked automatically when gunfire rang out behind them. She could hear the sound of bullets impacting the concrete of the ruined buildings behind them.

"Drone!"

Sakura acted without thinking, scooping up the boy and sprinting with the rest of the people that had swarmed out of the buildings around her. Her sandals slapped against the ground and for a moment, Sakura was confused.

Sandals?

Her dress was tight around her legs, and she was wearing a heavy shawl too.

Elsewhere in the city, she heard the horrible whistling and a moment later, the ground shook as another explosion roared through the sky. Her ears hurt, ringing with the sound of it and she could feel her heart thundering away.

The boy was wailing, squeezing too tight, but Sakura didn't have time to think about that.

The people around them were screaming, crying as they ran away from the war behind them. They were pushing, and Sakura felt someone tear at her shirt to get ahead of her.

There was another explosion, closer this time and it actually did knock Sakura off her feet. The boy went flying and someone screamed.

Sakura landed hard on her chest, bare arms and collarbones scraping painfully along the rocky ground. It burned, and she could feel the heat of the fire licking at her.

She couldn't see anything, her vision ringing from the shockwave of the explosion. There was dust everywhere and she couldn't breathe-

Where was the boy-

"-soldier! No time for sleeping on the job!" Someone yelled, and Sakura was grabbed by the collar and heaved over a hard shoulder. "Fuck me, you're fucking heavy, you know that?!"

Sakura groaned, confused.

She could see army fatigues, the dusky beige of Konoha's armed forced. A soldier?

What the hell was-

"Down! Grenade!"

The solider carrying her dropped immediately and Sakura rolled off his shoulder. As she did, she became aware that she wasn't wearing the sandals and shawl anymore, but a heavy army uniform, bulletproof vest and all. there was a gun strapped to her thigh and the helmet strap was digging into her neck.

"You good!?" The soldier yelled, covering his head as the grenade went off behind them. "C'mon, we gotta get inside!"

Sakura was so confused.

She looked around wildly. The ruined city and the boy were gone. Replaced instead with sandy stone buildings, many of them ruined. There was a colourful blanket lying on the ground near her.

Why was she dressed like a soldier?! Was this…

But she rolled upright, sprinting after the man. She ducked automatically when more sharp staccato sounds of gunfire echoed behind her. A bullet embedded itself in the ground beside her and it sent a shock of fear through her like nothing else.

The soldier she was following yelled, and Sakura saw blood explode from the back of his thigh. He went down like a sack of bricks.

Sakura acted without thinking. She lunged for him, grabbing the back of his vest and dragging him upright. He howled, clinging to her.

"Gun! Gun!" He cried, scrabbling at the scary looking weapon slung over his chest.

He half turned as Sakura half carried, half dragged him towards the nearest building. Sakura's ears rang, and her teeth rattled in her head when he returned fire, snarling something she couldn't hear properly.

Sakura didn't know what the Hell was going on, but she was more focused on getting him to safety- maybe then she could and find the boy.

The door to the ruined sandstone home slammed behind her and she set the man against the wall as gently as she could. Her muscles were shaking with adrenaline and she was sticky from sweat.

The other man groaned, clutching his thigh. "Fucking got me-" He hissed through clenched teeth.

Sakura fumbled in the numerous pockets on her pants and vest, looking for bandages, saline solution, alcohol, anything. She was wearing black gloves, emblazoned with the symbol of the Konohanian military, and there was a big, ugly gun hanging over her back, the same one the man had.

She finally managed to fumble a roll of bandages free from the pocket on her pants, but when she looked up, the man was gone, replaced with a woman and child, huddled against the wall.

Sakura recoiled and then looked around when the world around her began to shift.

The sandstone building, the ruined chairs and colourful banner by the crude fireplace melted into a humid, lean to The woman and child were huddled by the wall of a dilapidated shed, and she could smell burning meat.

"Please, please, don't hurt my son, please, I'll do whatever you want!" The woman cried, and Sakura drew back even further.

They were afraid of her?

Sakura looked around, and then down at herself. She was still in Konoha fatigues, but they were… older, and her vest wasn't nearly as high tech. There was no gun on her thigh and her boots weren't heavy duty.

The shed was on a lean, and there was a rickety cot to her left, a dirty mirror hung above it. The air was humid, sticky and she could hear the whine of mosquitos.

"Shut up!" Someone behind her spat, male and rough. "God, I fucking hate this country. Where are they!?"

Sakura turned, horrified. There was another soldier behind her, this time, dirty and sweaty. He was dark haired, thickset, angry.

"I don't know, I don't know!" The woman cried, cradling her son closer. He burst into tears and the woman swallowed, looking around for help. "Please, I don't know where they're hiding."

The solider behind Sakura spat angrily and opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off when there was a shrill alarm and the sound of more guns.

Sakura hated it.

The boy screamed.

"Shut up!" The second soldier roared. "Kid, with me!"

The other soldier split out of the shed, pounding away, shouting orders, whipping the rifle off his shoulder.

The woman whimpered.

Sakura turned.

 _Can't leave them here_. A male voice insisted.

It sounded like young, like a boy. Sakura looked to her left. In the dirty mirror, above the bed, she could see a lanky boy, maybe twenty, sandy haired and skinny.

Sakura grabbed them both. "Come on." She said softly. "I'll get you somewhere safe. Trust me."

The woman looked hunted, eyes wide. "If you hurt my son, I'll kill you." She warned, voice filled with the wrath of a terrified mother.

Sakura believed her.

She nodded once and then turned, pulling them out of the shed.

Outside was chaos. The village was in a panic- _there was a dead man, right there_ \- and Sakura could see Suna soldiers running past, interspersed with more soldiers from Konoha. The air stunk of gunpowder, blood, fire.

Sakura's hands moved on their own, pulling the gun off her shoulder as she ushered the woman away from the main street.

"Kid, the _**fuck**_ are you doing!?" Someone roared- the soldier from before.

He grabbed Sakura's uncle by the shoulder, wrenching them around. The woman cried out and Sakura shoved her behind herself as best she could.

"We have a fucking war to fight!" The soldier from before roared in her face, shaking her by the vest. "You forget that?!"

"I can't leave them here!"

"The fuck you can't!"

They struggled. Something exploded nearby, someone screamed and then the sound was cut off with a loud gunshot. More gunfire rang out, again and again and again-

The tang of blood was heavy in the air, and the humidity was only making it worse. She couldn't see properly, sweat dripping into her eyes and the second soldier ripped her gun from her arms, smacking her in the face with the butt of it by accident.

Ratatatata the guns yelled.

"Forget about them! They'll be dead tomorrow anyway!"

The boy wailed. Around them, the village was in chaos. There was planes roaring overhead, the sound of people screaming, so many gunshots it sounded like some sort of demented orchestra.

Sakura refused. "No, I'm getting them to safety! We're supposed to protect people!" She grabbed for the gun, and they fought over it-

It went off-

-Sakura felt a dull thump and then hotness spreading through her chest.

The soldier looked horrified.

The woman screamed again, sobbing. "Oh god!"

Sakura tumbled backwards, falling in the dirt. It forced the air from her lungs and Sakura wanted to cry. He was a boy! He was just a kid!

Sakura's chest bowed, and she gasped, eyes closing in pain-

-when she opened them again, it was to dull, rainy grey skies and a vast expanse of muddy soil ahead of her. She was eyelevel with the soil, and there was water seeping into her boots. She could see bodies out there, limp and unmoving, soaked by the rain.

Something whistled overhead and Sakura became aware of the gun in her hand, the slickness of the handle. She was freezing and starving, and her clothes were soaked through to the bone, weighing her down.

She was shivering.

"Hang on kiddo! We'll get them!" Someone roared to her left.

She glanced over.

It was a big, burly man, eyes like the sky and a big hat. He looked ridiculous and out of place.

Sakura knew this. World War 2.

It had to be.

A bomber roared overhead, and Sakura ducked.

The man next to her laughed. "Calm down, its us, kiddo! And that's our cue!"

Cue?

Sakura gasped when the men in the trenches surged up, and over it, sprinting over the muddy field, guns in hand and completely without protection. As soon as they did, gunfire rang out and she covered her mouth in horror, feeling sick when wave upon wave of man went down screaming.

"Up!" The burly man roared, and Sakura found herself hurled over the edge of the trench by the back of her collar.

She scrambled up just as the bombers started firing their big guns.

It made so much noise.

Sakura didn't see where she was running, there was mud everywhere, rain in her eyes. The gun was heavy, and her boots were filled with water. She sprinted blindly, tripping and stumbling and praying to whatever god might be listening that she didn't get shot.

Someone screamed near her and she saw a man fall, clutching his leg. He landed on another man, writhing.

"Keep running!" Someone cried.

The guns kept going off, around her, at her, above her, there was so much damn noise! Her heart was thumping a mile a minute in her chest, adrenaline making her shaky.

She tripped over something, felt it squish and move beneath her foot, but she refused to look at it. She knew what it was.

The burly man kept her up, hand on her elbow. He was yelling incoherently, firing from the hip, face twisted in a snarl.

It was complete chaos- there was no order here, just death and the screaming of dying men-

Sakura's foot slipped, and she tumbled over into the enemy trenches, crushing a few men beneath her. They were yelling in German, shoving at her, but it was too late, the other soldiers she had been running with swarmed over the trenches themselves, roaring and wailing.

The man beneath her stared up at her, and Sakura could see he wasn't a man, but a young boy. He was sixteen, seventeen? Far too young to be here.

He was terrified, shaking as he raised his hands.

Sakura screamed when he jerked, and blood splattered her face when someone shot him. She staggered back, bumping into someone. They yelled but she was too busy staring at the boy in horror. He was so small, lying there in the mud of the trench.

When she looked up for his killer, she was on a boat.

It made her stumble, the sudden change of scenery. It wasn't raining anymore, but it was windy. The sky above was blue, tinged with a haze, and the clouds hurried by, pushed by the strong wind.

Someone was shouting orders. She could hear more planes above, the sound of waves and the sputtering of the boats engine.

"Go!" Someone roared.

The boat juddered to a halt and then the back of it fell open, slamming down into the water like a giant ramp. The men around Sakura surged forward, running headlong into the water. Sakura caught a glimpse of six white stars on a navy background-

She was swept forward as well and into the water.

It was warm. The tang of salt stung her eyes.

The wind whipped the water into motion, and it splashed Sakura, white capped waves slamming into her side and back, getting in her eyes, in her mouth.

Gunfire was raining down on them from above, the hills above them, where she could see rabbit holes dug deep into the countryside. The water had already turned red from the blood of fallen soldiers.

Still, she ran forward, thighs burning as she ran through the water.

The beach was no better, already littered with the bodies of too many men. Some were taking shelter behind rocks, driftwood, other bodies.

"Up the beach, men!" Someone barked.

Sakura ran blindly, clutching her gun. She was so afraid. She was wet, and she could smell the blood in the air, the gunpowder, and the greasy smell of diesel.

Someone was running alongside her, pack clanking with every step he took.

Finally, finally, they reached the base of the hillside and the gunfire couldn't hit them, hidden as they were by the rocks and earth. The man next to her wretched, hands on his knees and pale beneath his helmet.

Six stars on his shoulder. Six on hers.

Sakura looked up and then ducked when more bullets whistled by. She looked back out over the sand. The boats were leaving, speeding away towards the giant warship out to sea. The ocean was red with blood and the sand was too.

The beach should have been beautiful, but it wasn't because it was filled with dead and dying men.

"Fuck I hope the rest get here soon-" The man said, only to be cut off by another man crashing into the two of them. Sakura fell on her face, getting sand in her mouth and she could hear rough swearing.

"Fucking dammit, the hell you doing!?"

"We gotta take out those gunners on the hill or the others'll be slaughtered when they land!" The second man cried, crawling off them. "We gotta get up there and get those bastards outta their hidey holes-"

"The fuck you propose we do that? They didn't give us shit to use!" The first man roared, obviously terrified.

"You wanna fucking die here?!"

"Shut up!" Sakura cried, covering her ears.

The ground shook under them, and she heard the cries of surprised and terrified men. The earth rumbled, and the hillside shook, sending small clumps of rock and dirt rolling down onto Sakura and the men she was sheltering with. They showered over her, getting in her hair and blinding her momentarily.

When she uncovered her head, the two old fashioned soldiers were gone. And instead of the roar of guns and machine guns, it was the roar of thundering hooves that filled the air.

Sakura stared in shock at the advancing wall of horses and men, unable to quite understand. They were flying a banner she didn't recognise, horses plated in gleaming silver, manes streaming behind them. The men held spears aloft, wickedly sharp and glinting in the sun.

Sakura scrambled up and ran for her life.

She could hear them singing war chants as they chased her, and it sent a thrill of primeval fear through her.

The ground she was running on was pockmarked, more mud than dirt and it made her stumble several times. The air stunk of death, hot and heady.

She became aware of the clanking as she ran, the feel of a heavy padding constricting her chest, the thin shield on her back, the heavy boots she was wearing.

Sakura stumbled, breath ripping through her lungs, and she barely managed to dodge around a dead horse and rider, speared through the heart. There were dead riders everywhere- something that spoke of a horrific campaign of violence.

She felt as if there was a target on her back, that she was the next one to be speared through.

There was no way she could outrun horses, and she imagined the feel of their hooves beating down on her, crushing her, killing her.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw just how quickly the charging army had gotten. They were holding spears out in front of them in a bristling show of force. Their army gleamed in the sun. Huge feathered wings streamed out from behind them, connected to their saddles, so bright it was almost out of place.

At their head, a young man with a shock of red hair.

She knew him.

The Conqueror.

The Winged Riders from Suna.

He raised his spear-

-his men roared-

-and then the left side of his army was slammed into by another, equally sized one. This one, helmed by a fierce man with dark skin and catlike eyes. She knew him too, The King with No Name the huge man who ruled Kumogakure with an iron fist, turning the country from a small village into a bustling metropolis.

Kumogakure's Immortals.

His army was black and gold to the Conqueror's red and silver and they clashed fiercely, horses screaming and men yelling incoherently.

Sakura fell over, landing heavily in the mud. She got mud and blood on her face and she spat it out, swiping at her eyes.

She scrambled backwards, staring in confusion.

These two military powers- they existed at different times, evidenced by the more advanced armour on red and silver calvary, so how could they be meeting now?

The Winged Riders turned, re-grouping. The Conqueror raised his spear and they thundered back towards the other force.

The Immortals of Kumogakure braced.

The clash of steel and horses was so loud it shook the air. Sakura screamed and then shoved herself up when the fighting spilled over and turned into chaos. Horses ran past, screaming and wheeling. Many without their riders.

The Immortals didn't have nearly as many horses, more men on foot, but their blades were sharper, thinner, and the armoured horses legs were an easy target.

Sakura dodged around a crying horse and the headless man on his back, gasping. Her heart thundered in her chest, and her limbs were shaking.

Someone fell in front of her, a spear through the heart.

The sight made her cry out, stumbling back.

She had to get away from here. She would be crushed if the Winged Riders charged again-

She heard the Winged Rider's horns go off and leapt over the man without a second thought. She had read about their tactics, how their horses and their spears crushed every defence with ease, how they broke a city in one afternoon. There was no way she would survive between these two armies.

A's army cried their defiance to the sky, readying their shields, raising their banners, but Sakura dodged between them, heart pounding out a frightened beat against her ribs.

A screamed of terror went up.

Against her judgement, she glanced over her shoulder.

Men and horses were screaming, running for their lives. Behind them, the darkness was back, swallowing the ground, pulling man, beast, and war machine alike into its depths. It was larger now, rising high enough to block the horizon, seemingly alive as it took more and more.

"Up!" Someone cried, and Sakura was grabbed the back of the collar and yanked bodily onto the back of a charging horse. She scrambled, clinging to her unlikely saviour, grabbing at their arm, shoulder, anything she could to get her balance.

She finally managed to get her leg over the back of the horse, still clutching the man in front of her. The horse was lightning quick, muscles bunching and coiling under them as it galloped across the muddied field.

The Conqueror stared back at her for a moment, dark eyeliner making him look mysterious and otherworldly. And then he was staring ahead, urging his charger on.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder.

The darkness had consumed the majority of both armies, sweeping and swarming over the land in a sticky, grasping wave. It rolled and roiled, bubbling like tar as it reached for them.

The gold horse beneath them tossed its head, baying in fear, but military general held him steady. On and on they ran, the horse never seeming to slow at all.

But still the darkness gained on them.

Was this it? Was Sakura really going to be swallowed by this darkness? After all she had done?

The darkness swelled higher, gathering up in a giant, bulbous lump. It rose into the air, blocking out the sky and darkening the world as it blocked the light from the sun.

Sakura's eyes widened when she realised what it was about to to.

She turned around, grabbing at the man in front of her. "It's going to-"

She was too late. The giant wave of inky blackness slammed into the ground behind them. The Earth and mud rippled like water, cracking and exploding upwards.

The horse screamed and so did Sakura as they were knocked over. She was thrown off the back of the horse, flying through the air. She caught a glimpse of the remnants of the army in the darkness, nothing left of them but broken feathered wings and gold chariots before she hit the ground.

It knocked the wind out of her and she only just managed to cover her head. Her back burned with pain and she felt a sharp, jagged pain in her side.

She rolled, head over heels, dirt and mud everywhere. She didn't know which way was up-

Finally, she hit something and came to a stop. Groaning, Sakura lay there for a moment, stunned and breathless.

The sound of a horse screaming made her open her eyes.

The Conqueror and his golden horse were trapped in the oozing darkness. His sea-green cape flying, the red haired man tried to urge the horse free.

The gold horse reared, screaming and tossing its head. The red head kept his seat, mouth twisted in a snarl. He didn't see the darkness reaching for him and Sakura's gasp of warning went unheard.

Man and horse vanished under the roiling weight of the darkness. It seemed to pause and then, as if it was alive, it _looked_ at Sakura.

Aching and terrified, Sakura scrambled backwards as it surged forward to eat her too. Her hand met nothing but empty air as she crawled backwards and with a gasp of surprise, Sakura tumbled down a steep incline.

Head over heels again, she rolled. Dirt flew as she rolled, and she desperately tried to catch herself on anything, but the mud had turned to sand, and it slipped through her fingers.

She slammed into something hard, coming to an abrupt stop that made her side burn with fiery pain and her stomach roll with dizziness. Sakura groaned, flopping limply on the sand, unable to muster the strength to get up.

Let the darkness eat her then.

She could feel her heart beating, could hear the blood rushing in her ears. The fall had disoriented her to the point where she didn't know what way she was facing.

Sakura blinked the sand away, staring down at whatever she was lying on.

It was jewel blue and hard. White fur. Black.

Sakura shook her head gently, rolling it to the side, not quite sure what she was seeing.

She saw a chin, a sharp nose-

Gasping, Sakura threw herself backwards, slamming into the steep hill behind her and showering herself with yet more sand when she realised she was lying on a body. She stared, heart pounding once again in her chest.

He was lying on his back, old fashioned armour gleaming dully in the low light of the sun. He obviously came from a higher echelon of warrior, judging by the white fur collar and steel head-plate he was wearing.

There were two sharp lines on his cheeks, and in his hand, a big, tan gourd shaped fan, ringed in black. A black chain attached to the top, rippling down to a sickle shaped blade half buried in the sand.

Sakura blinked when she recognised it as the fan weapon from the mansion.

But… what was it doing her?

The darkness!

Sakura spun around, half expecting to see the darkness oozing towards her. But instead, she saw that it came no further than the start of the hill she had fallen down. It wasn't oozing or rippling now, only still and empty.

It was somehow worse, because it made Sakura think of nothingness.

Sounds of metal meeting metal made Sakura look around. In the centre of the bowl shaped dip she had tumbled into, she could see two figures fighting viciously, both long haired and tall. The dust they kicked up kept her from seeing them properly, and she only caught glimpses of an arm, a leg, a blade.

The white haired man in front of her wheezed, breath rattling in his throat.

Sakura nearly kicked him in the chin out of fright.

Adrenaline made her shaky as she stared at him, afraid he might jump up and try to tackle her. But he didn't, he only wheezed and gasped for air, prone and paling rapidly.

Still a little apprehensive, Sakura crept forward, keeping half an eye on the warring pair. She didn't want to get their attention and end up dragged into another fight. She had seen enough combat to last her a lifetime.

The man was feverish under her fingers when she touched his wrist gently. As she leaned over him, she saw that there was a darkening bruise on his temple and she winced at the power behind the blow.

Sakura wondered what she could do. She had nothing to help him, and he was already unconscious, something that worried her. A blow to the head resulting in unconsciousness was never a good thing.

Still, she could get him on his side so that if he did vomit, he wouldn't end up choking on it.

Sakura got her arms under his back with some difficulty, making a face at just how heavy he was. It was that movement that saved her life, because as she bent down, a jagged piece of wood whistled over her head, slamming into the sandy hill behind her.

Sakura threw herself over the man in fright, eyes wide and heart in her throat.

The two men fighting had moved closer, and now it was less of a fight and more of a brawl. It was messy and crude as they grappled with each other, snarling something in that same, unrecognisable language Obito and Kagami had used.

Sakura shoved herself up, grabbing the man by the collar. She needed to get away or she'd been killed by something.

The man was so heavy though, his armour weighing him down to the point that Sakura's exhausted frame could barely move him. Grunting, Sakura strained harder, ignoring the painful twinging in her side and the spinning in her head. "Come on!" She hissed. "Come on, come on, come- Ah!"

A giant blue behemoth exploded out of the sand, sending one of the men flying backwards. The shockwave of it knocked Sakura flat on her face and she snarled, sick of being knocked around. Spitting out sand, Sakura looked up and baulked.

The giant was huge, blue and monstrous, with four arms and a snarling, horned face with glowing eyes.

"Oh…"

"Madara, please!" The second combatant cried, sounding so desperate and hopeless. "Please, just listen to me-"

"He was my little brother!"

"Madar-"

"You have already killed one brother and crippled another! I will not listen to anything you have to say, Hashirama! They are my family!"

The blue giant loomed over Sakura and the white haired man. Inside of it, floating like a ghost, was a dark haired man, dressed in red armour and black underclothes.

This had to be Madara, the one Itachi had told her about.

She never imagined he would be…

"Watch, Hashirama!"

"Madara, no!"

Sakura had no time to react, no time to think. She just moved. Her hand was still on the white haired man's, and she yanked the handle of the fan from his. It was heavy and then as if someone else was helping her to lift it, it lightened to be no heavier than a feather.

The blue arm rose, sword rippling with blue flames.

Sakura swung the fan over her head with a snarl of effort.

A white light, the ringing of steel in her ears and then a loud crack and a shockwave that exploded outward from the impact of the blue sword on the fan.

Sakura's arm bowed, and she felt the blow ripple through her entire body. Her shoulder screamed, and she felt all of her muscles straining, she couldn't hold it-

* * *

"So what do you do, Shisui?" Kana asked, leaning on her palm. He was fascinating to talk to, even if he did keep looking off in the wrong direction. But that almost made it cuter, because she kept having to tap his arm to get him to look at her.

"Ah… I am a bit between things at the moment." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I am taking some time to… do some introspection."

"Oh like a gap year?" Kana said. She had done the same thing before deciding she wanted to be an economist. It had been the best decision of her life, since she'd gotten Danzo interested in her and managed to squirrel away enough money to fund her university education when she did, inevitably go back.

Shisui tilted his head. "Yes…" He said. "But, I am not very interesting." He said. "What about you, what is such a nice girl like you doing all by yourself?"

Kana laughed. "Laying it on thick, aren't you?"

"Everyone needs a little flattery every now and then." Shisui said, leaning back in his chair. He was stirring his tea absently and Kana marvelled at how practiced his movements were. He wasn't smacking the spoon against the sides of the cup at all. "Besides, was it untrue?"

Kana giggled. She knew she was attractive, and she wasn't afraid to be proud of how she took care of her skin and hair, her work in the gym and planning out her meals. But it was still nice to be noticed. Especially by such a handsome man. "I was out shopping. I have a date tonight."

Shisui's hand paused. "Oh…"

Kana hid a smile, though there was no need. She knew what he had been angling for. "Date's probably the wrong word… Business meeting, maybe?"

Her dinner with Danzo was anything but a business meeting. Of the traditional sense. Of course, she wouldn't meet with an old man for kicks, and he was paying for her time and company, for the 'girlfriend experience' with his money and influence.

But Shisui didn't need to know that.

Not many people looked kindly upon the kind of arrangement Kana had with Danzo. But she didn't care. He had money and Kana had expensive tastes. It was a mutually beneficial agreement.

"What kind of business?" Shisui wanted to know, missing the sugar bowl with his spoon completely.

Kana found him so cute. He was like a little puppy. "Nothing important." She said blithely, guiding his hand to the bowl gently. "But that's later on. I've got time."

Shisui smiled at her widely. He was very handsome, even behind his still askew glasses. "How much?"

* * *

-Sakura's arm drooped heavily and she gasped, dropping the weapon onto the sand heavily, gasping for air. She felt so suddenly exhausted and she had to blink a few times to keep from falling over. Even so, the world around her spun sickeningly.

"Ugh…"

"What- _**Who are you**_?!" Madara roared.

Sakura looked up, just in time to see him straighten. The shockwave had sent him reeling back, his feet leaving deep furrows in the sand. He flicked out his hand, a sharp black blade falling into his palm and then he was streaking across the dirt.

"Madara, no!" The brunette man cried, reaching out for Sakura desperately, eyes wide in horror.

Sakura had no time to think.

One last time, she begged her battered and tired body, just one last time-

-she swung the weapon as hard as she could, hoping against hope that it would be enough.

It connected with a fleshy clang and Madara went flying backwards. The effort made Sakura stumble and then trip over the body at her feet and she only just managed to avoid stabbing herself in the eye with the weapon in her hand. Her heart was pounding too fast and she was suddenly breathless and shaky, as if she had just run a marathon at a dead sprint.

There was a loud bang and the sound of falling rock.

Sakura looked up, eyes shaking and vision blurry. She was shocked and confused when she saw that Madara had gone straight through a large spire of rock in the centre of the depression they were all in.

She didn't understand.

She was nowhere near strong enough to do something like that, not as tired and dizzy as she was. for a moment there was silence and then the spire of rock cracked and collapsed. Sakura yelped, covering her face with her arms when it kicked up a wave of dust and sharp, tiny pebbles that pelted her skin.

It lasted for maybe thirty seconds, and when she opened her eyes, the depression was empty of Madara and his adversary. The spire of rock was gone too, and in its place, a giant, perfectly spherical boulder that was far too smooth and even to have been made by nature.

Sakura stared at it and then turned around quickly.

The white haired man had disappeared from where he had been lying behind her.

"Who are you?"

Sakura jerked, jumping in surprise. That was definitely Madara's voice, but it seemed to come from where at once, reminiscent of Kagami's voice when this had first started.

"Answer me!"

Sakura pushed herself up warily, looking around. She had a fair idea of where Madara was, but even so, she trusted nothing in this mountain. After all, she had seen a forest and the moon, a giant lake and even a dungeon. Nothing was going to take her by surprise now.

"Girl-"

This one seemed as nasty as Sasuke. "I am not a girl. Don't speak to me like that." She snapped. Her head hurt, and her ribs were hot and tender under her shirt from her tumble off the horse.

"Insolent."

Sakura took a deep breath in, trying not to get angry. But it was hard. She was at the very limits of her patience, what with her hunger, exhaustion, and pain. "Why were you trying to kill that man?"

"Answer my question first."

"That's not how it works!" She said, almost whining.

Madara said nothing and she clenched her fists. For a moment, she contemplated throwing herself into the darkness and ending it all like she had planned before the darkness had swept over everything.

When she glanced back at the sheer nothingness behind her though, Sakura knew she couldn't do that.

She was too much of a coward for that.

"Who are you to wield my weapon and demand answers from me?" Madara demanded again, more imperious this time around. "Answer me."

Sakura sighed heavily, and sat down. Her legs were shaking, she noticed numbly, her arms too. "I'm Sakura." She said.

"Cherry blossom. How… fitting."

Sakura didn't really care what he meant by that. "Why were you trying to kill that man?" She asked, afraid of the answer she might get. She was stalling. She knew why Madara had been trying to kill the white haired man- she'd heard him yell it.

"Retribution for a crime he committed against me and mine." Madara said darkly. "It was nothing more than he deserved."

"He was defenceless!" Sakura said hotly, defensive out of principle. She may not be big or strong, or confident like Ino and Naruto, but she hated bullies just as much as they did and the thought of Madara, a… whatever he was, trying to kill a man who couldn't fight back… it rubbed her the wrong way.

"He killed a defenceless man! Are you saying he deserved mercy when he did not show it to Izuna!?" Madara shot back. "You do not understand the things of which you speak- so keep your tongue still."

Sakura bristled at the condescending tone. He was much worse than Sasuke. At least with Sasuke, he had been at least somewhat tolerable, but this one seemed more combative and less receptive to her words.

He didn't want to listen to her.

"It wouldn't have brought… Izu-na back." Sakura said, stumbling over the unfamiliar name. She hadn't heard it before, but it sounded very old fashioned indeed.

"No, but it would have avenged his memory." Madara said shortly. "Your judgement is misplaced, mortal. You cannot judge me for my revenge when your own kind leaves blood wherever it goes. You saw on your journey, the carnage left by humans in their pursuit of dominion, did you not?"

Sakura stared, and then looked up at the boulder in surprise. The things she had seen… lived, experienced…? All of those conflicts, was that what he was talking about? But…

She thought.

All of things she had seen had felt so real.

"They were."

She glared. "Stay out of my head."

"You telegraph yourself, I do not even need to read your mind."

Sakura fought the urge to flip the boulder off. "I was never in those wars, they can't be real."

"Just because you never experienced them does not make them untrue." Madara said smugly. "Humans and warfare go hand in hand, as they have always done. Such a violent species, you always were, warring over everything from land to conflicting, useless ideologies and yet you judge me for honouring the memory of my brother."

Sakura had stopped listening to his smug words, tuning him out in horror. What she had seen, the drones, the little boy, the soldier who had tried to help her, the soldier boy who had been shot by his comrade, he had really died then?

And that boy in the trenches, with the shaking hands and big eyes, the men on the beach, dying and crying out for help-

Sakura swallowed. Now that she wasn't terrified out of her mind, she began to recognise them from her history lessons as a child.

"You cannot judge me when your own kind has done the same for years." Madara hissed.

"W-we… we fought those wars-"

"For honour? For the righteous?"

Sakura took a shuddery breath.

"You saw the atrocities there. How was any of that different?"

It wasn't. And that was the thing that Sakura didn't want to admit. She had always been a bleeding heart pacifist, but she had never been in a war, she didn't know what it was like. She had always had the privilege of standing on the outside, judging from afar when she really didn't know anything.

"Hm. Nothing to say?" Madara asked. "So easily silenced, just as easily as you have been manipulated."

Manipulated.

Sakura looked up at the boulder with wide eyes. "What… Manipulated-"

She thought back… trying to remember the catalysts for each of the conflicts she had seen. Back and back and back she went, and the men who fought in them never started the wars, it was always someone above them, someone far removed, with something to gain-

A horrible thought crossed her mind.

She already knew that whatever it was that Madara and his brothers were, it was powerful… powerful enough to influence wars and genocide?

"You, all of that was you, wasn't it! All of that fighting!" Sakura accused, suddenly furious. All of the death, carnage, and suffering she had seen, it was him all along. His rage and love of warfare had killed countless people, and all because he enjoyed death and destruction.

She actually felt disgusted.

She knew that he was a bad… person or whatever, but Sakura was physically repulsed by the idea of someone like him, who revelled in death and warfare. She despised the idea of pain and suffering, of enforcing hurt and death on innocent people and to hear him talk about it so casually, to know he took pleasure in it.

It disgusted her to the very core of her being.

"I was wrong." Sakura said sharply, shaking from rage. "I was wrong. There is nothing, nothing good in you-"

"So quick to pass judgement." Madara hissed back, just as angry. "Before you do, Sakura, know this. I did not incite those wars, I did not start them, nor fight in them, nor kill any combatant in them."

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Your bloodlust and desire for conquering others, for domination and dominion," Madara said coldly, "is all your own." He scoffed. "All I have ever done was amplify the bloodlust that was already there."

"So you did interfere! It was your fault!" Sakura said, jumping on that small admission.

"I have done nothing but allow man to show his true colours!" Madara said icily. "You look down on me for enjoying the thrill of combat and yet here your species is, standing on the bodies it has left in the past."

Recoiling at the venom in his words, Sakura floundered, trying to think. Was he lying to her? She knew that many people were… not always good, but… but no one enjoyed hurting others, did they?

"You are so unbearably naïve." Madara said. "You may not relish in it, but others do. There is no shame in that."

"There is!" Sakura cried. "How could you want to hurt people!?"

"I do not. I enjoy the fight, the thrill of it-"

"But that's not true, is it!" Sakura interrupted. She was so angry. So angry. She hated this Uchiha. He was a sick monster. Enjoying combat? Enjoying death and pain? "You were going to kill a man who was unconscious, where there was no thrill to be had, weren't you?!"

Madara was silent.

It was a stunned sort of silence and Sakura felt smug. "You're a hypocrite." She accused. "And you know what? I feel sorry for you. Because you can't even see past your own hypocrisy, because you have so little in life that all you can get pleasure and any meaning from is hurting other people."

Her chest was heaving by the end of it.

The boulder was silent.

She stood up shakily, dragging the fan with her. "I'm done with these games." She said strongly. "I'm done. I may have let the others out and that, is on me, but I'm not going to let someone like you out, someone who lives for only hurting other people."

The fan made a dull scraping noise as she dragged it across the sand. There wasn't very far for her to go, what with the darkness around, but she staggered up to the edge of the bowl shaped depression anyway. The hill was steep, and she was exhausted by the end of it.

The darkness didn't seem so scary now.

"Sakura-"

She ignored the call. The fan hit the ground next to her and finally, she rested, shoulders slumping. She was exhausted and every part of her cried out for respite. Her whole body ached.

A sharp crack split the air.

Sakura spun around, and her eyes widened at the sight of a jagged crack running down the centre of the giant boulder. Scrambling up, Sakura watched as the crack split, further and further down the boulder, until it met the sandy ground it rested on.

For a moment, nothing happened.

And then with a loud groan, the boulder split into four even pieces, like a giant watermelon. The rumble and shaking made Sakura slip and she half fell, half stumbled down the incline again. The fan fell along with her, slamming into the back of her knees. She barely noticed it, too focused on the yawning space between the split boulder.

"What… No- No, I didn't do anything!" Sakura cried, rushing forward, as if to reverse what had been done.

It was a mistake.

With a low, heavy groan and the rumbling of grinding rocks, the four pieces fell. When they hit the ground, it was with an explosive boom that made Sakura's teeth rattle in her head. The shockwave of it knocked her clean off her feet and she threw her arms out behind her automatically in an attempt to catch herself.

She landed funny and with a wet crack, her wrist snapped. A flame of hot pain arched up her arm and Sakura howled.

Curling up in an attempt to protect herself, Sakura hit the ground hard. Her burning arm and aching ribs twinged angrily, and the pain took her breath away. Her head smacked into something hard and immediately, her visions shuddered.

She could feel hot blood soaking into her hair.

Her eyes weren't working… properly-

There was a shadow standing over her-

Sakura passed out, vaguely recalling the sensation of being pulled into the air.

* * *

Madara stared down at the strangely combative girl who had just collapsed at his feet. She was… strange.

Frail and not in any way physically intimidating.

And yet…

He looked at the Gunbai in his hands. She had picked it up with ease, had had the strength to block a blow from Susanoo's might, had hit him with it. Feats that other Ancients struggled to, especially not without draining themselves and risking madness.

And this tiny, frail little mortal named after flowers had done it.

He rested his Gunbai on his shoulder. she had challenged him, seemingly unafraid and unbroken by her trails in his brothers' prisons. A rare mortal indeed, to face him down and attack him with his own weapon.

Her head was bleeding, turning the odd pink colour of her hair a rusty brown.

She was a fighter, that much was clear from the bumps and bruises adorning her arms and the way her whole body was limp with exhaustion, but muscles still coiled tight with worry and stress.

Most mortals would have gone mad or died from the pressure.

She was an angry little thing. Angry at him, at what he stood for.

Madara crouched, running his fingers through the hair at her temple, brushing it back from her head. Even in unconsciousness, she was still frowning.

What was it about her that made her so special? He could sense no residual Ancient's power on her, no blessing that would grant her enhanced strength of body or mind.

From the fact that he was free from his prison, he knew she had to be kind of heart, but that alone, did not make her special enough to wield his Gunbai.

The darkness around them hissed, roiling and snapping impatiently. Madara held it back easily, his power thrumming beneath his skin for the first time in a millennium. It would wait until he was ready to leave.

He picked the mortal up.

After the way she had spoken to him, he was inclined to let her be consumed. But then, that would go against the sense of honour that he and his family followed, not to mention…

Madara frowned and then let the girl be swept into the air. She rose into the sky, hands dangling limply and short pink hair falling over her face. A drop of blood from her cut landed on his cheek, blazing hot with fever.

He wiped it away, examining the red liquid. As he did, he saw a small pebble lying on the ground where the girl had been lying.

The darkness hissed, howling.

Madara scooped up the rock and then shadow stepped away before the darkness could touch his skin. He had no intention of letting it consume him, not after his freedom had finally been granted.

* * *

"Careful, its slippery, Karui-"

"I _know_ that, Omoi! Shut up and let me work!"

Kakashi sighed. Next to him, Genma eyed the young men and woman with flat eyes and an unimpressed tilt to his lips. The whole ride up to the compound, in the boat they'd borrowed from the coast guard, in the car as they drove up the mountain, the trips carrying the equipment inside, the whole damn way, the borrowed climbers from Kumo had argued.

Iruka, the paramedic Chief Nara had borrowed from Konoha General, rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.

Darui shushed them lazily, but his eyes narrowed enough for them to take notice. "Enough!"

Kakashi wished he'd done it earlier. He had the beginnings of a headache and he wasn't really in the mood to listen to more whinging from a bunch of twenty somethings. "Are you ready to go down?" He asked sharply.

Genma smacked him, but there was no heart in it. His partner was just as tired and irritated as he was.

The two young climbers stiffened. Karui looked at the well, apprehension in her gold eyes. Her partner, Omoi looked stressed, chewing on his toothpick furiously.

"You don't have to go down there, Karui." Darui said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I can do it."

She shook her head shortly. "No, no. It should be a woman." She said. "She deserves a gentle touch after what-" She looked away. "I'm the only one that'll fit if it narrows." She said instead.

"It won't be pretty." Iruka said plainly. "I know you've retrieved bodies before, but fall injuries are-"

The experienced climber set her jaw. "No, no, I can do this." She said firmly. "We ready?"

Her team nodded solemnly. Kakashi and Genma moved back to give them room, as they went over the last of their safety checks. The last thing they needed was Karui falling herself. The lines were tested and retested, as was the anchor point on the far wall that the lines ran through.

Karui's headlamp was tested a few times, but Omoi had already told them they might not be able to see much with how deep the well was estimated to be. According to a survey the city had sent them, the well was nearly a hundred meters deep and the industrial headlamps the team were using only had a range of around forty eight metres.

When Genma had heard that, he had gone a sickly white colour. There was no way Sakura had survived a fall that high, and even if she had, it had been almost a week. Iruka had nodded, resigned and disappointed.

The harnesses the young woman was wearing clanked as Karui stepped back over the edge of the well. Her face was set and resolute, no trace of fear in her eyes as she slowly began her descent down.

On her back, a backpack with a sling and some ropes inside to secure Sakura's body. Kakashi didn't envy the young woman and wondered again, if they should have just waited until some of the more veteran of Iruka's climbers was available to go down.

It seemed so cruel to make a young woman, so close to Sakura's own age, go down there.

But down the red head went, head lamp flashing as she glanced behind herself, breathing smooth.

She disappeared down into the well, her partners monitoring the ropes running through their own carabiners with eagle eyes. Darui was watching the little monitor in his lap, the feed displaying what the camera on Karui's helmet was seeing.

Down and down she went, switching between watching the hand letting out rope and where she was placing her feet on the slick, black wall of the well. Her headlamp didn't illuminate all the way down, and Kakashi felt uneasy looking at the inky darkness below her.

Karui seemed calm as she eased her way down, but she gasped and Omoi braced unnecessarily. The wall anchor hitched and then caught with a hiss. Karui fell maybe a few centimetres before she stopped the flow of rope through her hand.

Kakashi didn't breathe.

"It's okay." Karui said. "I'm okay. Just some moss."

"Be more careful, Karui." Darui said into his headset. "Slowly."

"Yes boss."

She resumed walking down the side of the well. It only took her a few minutes, but when she looked down, Kakashi saw his first glimpse of Sakura.

She was sprawled at the bottom of the well, hair haloed out around her head. There was blood in it and Kakashi hated the way it stained the pink locks. She was half on her side, right arm clearly broken and several cuts on her face and arms bare. Her shirt was torn, and she was filthy.

She looked surprisingly peaceful, but then, fall victims always did until you moved them. And then they just fell apart.

Genma looked away. Darui muttered something in his native language, eyebrows creasing.

"Oh." Karui said quietly, easing herself down onto the damp surface of the well floor. For a moment, she didn't move, just looking at Sakura. Then she knelt and pulled the backpack off, unpacking the sling and ropes that she had stored there.

Her movements were practiced and easy and Kakashi was reminded, that despite her and Omoi's young age, they were experienced in rescue and retrieval. This probably wasn't a new sight for either of them.

"Alright, Omoi can come down now." She said.

Omoi moved up, the unease on his face nowhere to be seen. Darui handed the monitor to Genma and strode over to help the young man check his harnesses one more time.

And then Omoi's white hair disappeared down into the well. Unlike his partner, he wasn't wearing a camera, but Karui was looking up and soon enough, Omoi appeared.

They waited until he reached the bottom and then he and Karui began passing ropes to each other as they prepared to lift Sakura's body onto the sling. As they worked, Kakashi could only think that it was a small blessing that Sakura had probably not suffered from the fall, she had most likely died on impact.

It wasn't much of a consolation at all, but it was all they had.

They prepared to move the young woman, Karui muttering a less than kind word for Sayaka as she touched Sakura's hair gently.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Omoi shouted, voice echoing up and down the well.

"What?!" Karui snapped back, her composure breaking finally. "We can't leave her down here any longer, Omoi, stop being such a baby!"

"I'm not!" Omoi cried. He stripped off one of his climbing gloves and touched Sakura's arm. "She's warm-"

"Omoi…" Darui warned, closing his eyes.

"No, she is!" Omoi insisted, feeling around for Sakura's wrist. He pressed two fingers against it, leaning forward over the young woman they were just about to move. Karui shifted as she watched her partner.

Genma's eyes were wide, worried.

Kakashi didn't know what to think.

"I have a pulse." Omoi breathed. "She has a pulse, boss, she's alive, _she's alive_ -"

"What?!" Karui demanded. She shoved Omoi's hand away and replaced it with her own, gentle despite her harsh words. For a moment, the basement was silent. Darui stared at the back of the monitor with narrowed eyes and Genma leaned heavily on Kakashi's shoulder. "He's… She's alive." She spluttered finally.

"Check again." Iruka ordered quickly, shoving Kakashi aside to grab the monitor. "Do not jolt her."

The two climbers did as they were told, checking Sakura's pulse on her arm, and then again on her neck. Finally, carefully, Karui leaned down to press her ear against Sakura's mouth. It was very faint, but they could all hear Sakura breathing through the camera.

Iruka leaned back. "You need to listen to me very carefully…" He started

Genma reeled back, turning to look at Kakashi, eyes huge in his face. Kakashi caught his partner by the shoulder, steadying him.

She was alive.

Against all odds, against the week long ordeal, the fall, everything, she was alive.

He didn't know how that was possible.

He could hear Iruka telling the two climbers how check for Sakura's injuries without moving her, that they would need to come back up and collect a wooden board, so they could bring Sakura up on a stable surface, but none of it really registered.

* * *

"She lives?" Hiruzen asked gently, watching Itachi watch the outside world below them. His office, high on the hill above the city, was quiet and dark.

"Indeed." Itachi replied, just as quiet. He was always a quiet, calm young man. He had always carried himself with a sense of quiet confidence, and none of the swagger and arrogance of Sasuke or Madara. "Not unharmed, but alive."

Hiruzen looked at his desk. "Well, for that I am grateful."

"As am I." Itachi said. "I was unsure of how Madara would react to her. She hit Sasuke, and given their personalities…"

Hiruzen smiled at the thought of big, powerful Sasuke getting smacked.

Itachi sighed, moving away from the window. "You knew this day would come." Itachi murmured, taking a seat in front of Hiruzen's desk. He looked, for all the world, like any other young man, handsome and well dressed. There was no hint at the power he was capable of.

They _had_ expected the day to come. They had put precautions in place, wards on the compound to scare away curious humans, had passed laws against removing the artefacts left in the compound, had scrubbed all mention of the Uchiha from the history books. They had burned all of the mentions of the magicks used to lock the Uchiha below the mountain.

And yet, humans were the most enterprising, curious beings Hiruzen had ever seen. They were tenacious and stubborn and somehow, someway, one of them had discovered the necessary seals to undo the lock on the cage.

Wonderful, bullish things, they were.

"An inevitability," Itachi murmured. "But unlike your teammates, you did not run from it."

Hiruzen folded his hands over his stomach. "Where could I run where you could not find me?"

Itachi inclined his head in agreement. His expression darkened as he looked at Hiruzen's computer, where the message from Homura was displayed. "They ran. They dread what comes for them. But the end will always arrive." He looked pensive, eyes sympathetic. "And it is here."

Hiruzen raised his chin. Of all of them, Itachi was the most difficult for Hiruzen to read. Inscrutable and quiet.

"Or should I say…" Itachi murmured, turning, just enough to look out the window of Hiruzen's office. The mountain was visible from here, and Itachi paused, tilting his head.

Hiruzen's closed his eyes briefly, when, with a loud boom and a flare of blood red lightning, the mountain split, right down the middle.

"We are."

* * *

All of the battles except the very last on before Sakura meets Madara, here have some root in real life. In order they are, Syria, Afghanistan, Vietnam, WWII, WWI (Gallipoli). The last two armies are based on real life ones though.

Winged Riders = Winged Hussars

Kumogakure Immortals = Persian Army under King Darius

Also none of you mentioned any of the pop culture easter eggs (YOU GUYS). So I tell you instead.

\- Kakashi's 'You good?' line to Genma was inspired by Fred-034's line to Chief in Halo 5.

\- Sakura blocking Madara's blow - Captain America vs Thor in The Avengers

\- Madara's 'You are so unbearably naive (formerly, you are unbearably naive)' is Ultron's line to Vision in Age of Ultron.

\- Hiruzen and Itachi's conversation is pretty much a word for word rip off of Thanos' monologue at the start of Infinity War.

YOU GUYS I SPENT AGES PUTTING THOSE IN AND NO ONE CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARED.

Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed the updated version of this. I am much happier with it, because it was definitely the one I was most unhappy with and the overall execution was fairly bland. I know that Kagami's and Shisui's prisons seemed to be the most popular, so I tried to go for that sort of feel, with something a bit out of left field.

The only issue I have with this, and I had it with the other version too, is that its very... noisy? I was going to say busy, but noisy seems to fit better.

Please let me know what you all think of it!


	8. Day 8: Breadcrumbs

NOW.

I have very nearly finished chapter nine. But, because I have exams in a month and a paper due in 16 days, I'm not going to be doing any writing between now and the 15th of November.

So. I can either upload Chapter 9 tomorrow when I finish it and then that's it (Bad Decisions included) until after Finals, OR, I can do it in two weeks. Now, if you vote on the two weeks thing, I may forget since I'm pretty absent minded and I'll most likely be running around like a dumbass trying to study.

Let me know either way.

Also, first scene from Genma's POV!

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 8: Breadcrumbs

"How long until we can execute this thing?" Kakashi asked lazily, sipping his coffee and waving the signed and dated warrant in his hand. It was sunny today, sun shining cheerily in the sky. They were parked outside a deceptively innocuous and picturesque house in the suburbs of Konoha.

There was a pretty garden of flowers at the bottom ringing the tiny front lawn, a set of white steps leading up to a covered front porch and delicate, white framed windows set against a pale brown wood panels.

It was clearly a well-loved house and whoever had done it up had an eye for detail and colour.

It didn't look like the house of a psychopath. Kakashi supposed it technically wasn't.

"They're still trying to get a hold of Kyoko Watanabe. They want her to be aware before we execute it" Genma said, tapping away on his phone. "Yono's aware but she's insisting the homeowner be notified. Which…"

Kakashi eyed the search warrant. "So we're just stuck sitting here then?"

"Not exactly a bad thing." Genma said grumpily, settling further into the seat. Kakashi glanced at his partner and saw the dark circles under his eyes.

He probably looked just as tired. It had been a hectic week and they weren't getting slack just because they'd been up to nearly two in the morning dealing with getting Sakura to the hospital. "May as well enjoy it until they give us the go ahead."

"Yeah." Genma said. He sighed. "But we really should start talking to the neighbours."

Neither of them moved.

Kakashi groaned, rubbing his eyes. "C'mon. Let's get to canvassing the neighbours. Maybe we'll get lucky and they won't be home." He said, yanking the keys out of the ignition and shoving them into his pocket. Beside him, Genma grumbled into his coffee but got out of the car anyway.

Kakashi locked the nondescript sedan before following his partner up the path of one of the Watanabe household's neighbours.

They waited on the porch after they knocked.

A moment later, a harried woman holding a young child yanked open the door. "Yes?" She asked, eyes flicking between them.

Genma smiled. "We're sorry to interrupt your day, Ms…?"

"Tanaka." The woman said warily, eyeing them.

His partner nodded. "Ms. Tanaka, I'm Detective Shiranui and this is my partner, Detective Hatake, we were just wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your neighbours?" He asked pleasantly.

Ms. Tanaka peered out the door at the Watanabe house. "Sayaka?" She guessed, looking a little upset. "Is this about what they're saying she did on the news?"

Kakashi sighed. "Unfortunately."

The woman bounced the child on her hip. The little thing was asleep, a dummy in his mouth. "I can't believe it y'know? I mean… She's so nice- I always see her coming and going." She shook her head. "What did you need to ask?"

"Did Sayaka ever seem off to you?"

Ms. Tanaka thought for a moment. "She and Kyoko fight all the time. I always see Sayaka storming out. I figured you know, it was just age and her growing up." She smiled brightly. "Kyoko is a little bit protective- she's always fussing over Sayaka, over everyone actually. She brings around a cake at least once a week."

Kakashi frowned. "Did she bring one this week?"

The blonde woman shook her head. "I haven't seen her for… a couple of weeks? I don't know, with Sato, I get a bit distracted." She shrugged. "I thought maybe she'd gone away on holiday. I know they have family in Suna."

Genma wrote that down in his notebook. "Is there anything that stood out to you about Sayaka? Was she acting strangely in the past few days?"

"I don't think so? After she went to university, I barely saw her to be honest." Ms. Tanaka shook her head a few times. "She's… a bit cold sometimes. And I always felt bad for Kyoko because Sayaka never really seemed to want to spend time with her. Kyoko always tried to get her to help in the garden or bake with her."

"And you haven't seen Ms. Watanabe in a few weeks?"

"No. She's usually in the garden or baking if she's not at work." Ms. Tanaka said. She looked stressed, eyes flicking to the side. "Did Sayaka really kill that other girl?"

Kakashi and Genma exchanged a quick glance. They had been instructed to play Sakura's survival close to the chest for now. Morino wanted to use it as a trump card against Sayaka, see if it might throw her off or get her to crack just a little bit.

"We're still investigating." Genma said diplomatically.

"Oh god, it's just so terrible." Ms. Tanaka said, looking truly upset by the situation. "I just hope Kyoko hasn't had to find out from the news- Does she know? This will break her heart…"

"We haven't been able to get a hold of Ms. Watanabe." Kakashi said slowly. "With all that's happened in the past few days, that's not surprising though."

Ms. Tanaka nodded, bouncing her son absently. "Was there anything else?"

Kakashi put his hand in his pocket. "Can you give me your impression of Sayaka?" He asked.

The woman peered around her doorjamb at the house next door. "Well, she was always so lovely to me. She always asked about my job and looked after Sato for me. She always ran errands for everyone, you know going to the store, collecting people's mail when they were away, that kind of thing." She bit her lip. "I really can't see her doing something like this."

Genma held out his card. "A lot of the time, no one can." He said gently. "What do you do for work, if you don't mind me asking, Ms. Tanaka?"

The woman blinked. "Oh, I'm a mortician." She said. "I work down at one of the funeral homes in Konoha East."

And just like that, Kakashi knew exactly why they hadn't been able to get a hold of Ms. Watanabe. From the way Genma shifted next to him, his partner had realised it too. Neither of them said anything though.

"Well, that must keep you busy." Genma said instead.

"Yes well, I'm on leave for a little bit with this one…" She said, smiling down at her son.

Kakashi smiled at the sleepy child. "We'll let you get back to your day, Ms. Tanaka. Don't let him run you around too much."

The woman took the card with a brief, weak smile. "Will you let Kyoko know that my door is always open to her? I don't want her to feel like she's alone." She asked earnestly, looking between them.

Genma nodded. "Of course." He said, voice tight.

Kakashi waited until they were on the pavement before speaking. "Kyoko Watanabe is dead."

"Yeah." Genma said with a long, drawn out sigh as he pulled out his phone. "Mortician… Jesus. Sayaka was playing nice to get info out of her."

"We already knew she was a good manipulator." Kakashi said. He leaned against the car, arms folded as his partner waited for someone at the station to pick up.

"Chief? Yeah I know were supposed to be waiting for you guys to get a hold of-" Genma looked frustrated, listening to whatever Chief Nara was saying on the other end of the line. "Yes sir, I know. Sir, we spoke to the one of the neighbours-"

His partner sighed when he was cut off again, rubbing his forehead. Kakashi knew everyone was stressed out. The mayhem in Konoha hadn't helped in the slightest and Sakura's parents suddenly showing up at the hospital had complicated things even further.

They wanted answers and they wanted them now.

"Sir, the neighbour is a mortician." Genma finally snapped. "She confirmed that Kyoko Watanabe hasn't been seen for a couple of weeks. She also told us Sayaka kept asking about her job."

Kakashi watched his partner's body language carefully.

"Yes sir, definitely said mortician." Genma confirmed. "Sayaka was pumping her for information… And Kyoko Watanabe has been absent from her job for nearly two weeks…" He trailed off, catching Kakashi's eye meaningfully.

Kakashi looked over at the Watanabe house with a grim feeling in his chest. He sincerely hoped Ms. Watanabe was on holiday in Suna, but it was seeming more and more unlikely.

Genma sighed. "We're to go in now. Chief is sending up a CSU team with Morino." He said tiredly. "I sure as shit hope we're both overreacting."

Kakashi did too.

* * *

"She's alive, ma'am."

Kohara tapped her fingernail against the side of her glass of water. "What hospital?" She asked, turning to look out at the city behind her. It was a nice day, nothing left of the terrible storm that had rocked the city. The Naka river gleamed below, still full to the bursting, but finally receding.

In the distance, Kosciu Mountain sat, split in two. The now two peaks were jagged as they pierced the sky.

It always was like Madara to make an entrance. Grandiose idiot.

"Konoha Womens, ma'am."

"Very well, thank you, Ayame." Koharu said before hanging up. Not particularly bright, that deputy, but gullible and so very eager to please. Easily manipulated, not a good trait for a police officer, but it worked well for Koharu. She knew that the Police Department did not like Danzo, and by extension, her or Homura.

She looked over at the head of her security team. "Neji, bring the car around, would you?"

"Yes, Honoured Councilwoman." Neji replied quietly before striding from the room, back straight and dark hair neat as ever. He never asked questions that one, but Koharu knew he disapproved of her political posturing.

No matter. The moral dilemmas of mortals did not concern her.

Rising from her desk, Koharu collected her coat and bags, hating the way fatigue and age pulled at her bones. Before this she had been a Goddess, but because of the Uchiha she was nothing more than a shell of her former self, old, decrepit and most of all, weak. And if there was one thing that Koharu hated more than anything, it was weakness.

And she did not intend to allow any of her weaknesses to be taken advantage of by furious Uchiha. No, unlike her foolish partner Homura, she had never had children, had never taken lovers. Doing so would open her to be taken advantage of, and the death of Sato, as sweet as the stupid boy had been, was a perfect example of it.

Homura was running furious and scared and Koharu knew that was what the Uchiha wanted. They were angry, and they wanted the Elders afraid and irrational.

Koharu had no intention of giving them anything they wanted. Not anymore. She had lived too long, given up far too much to allow bratty, irresponsible little boys dictate the direction of her life.

No, she would live.

And that girl, the one who had started all of this, would ensure it.

"Honoured Councilwoman, the car is ready for you." Neji reported, face set in perfect blankness. He was a stunning looking man, a recessive genetic trait turning his eyes milky and almost too large for his face. Had she still been the Goddess she once was, he might have served her in a different capacity. But that was a different time and she had no interest in that now.

"Very well." Koharu murmured, tucking her hands close to her front and sweeping from the room. Despite her age and her lack of power, she was still as graceful as ever. It disgusted her seeing how fragile and useless humans became as they aged, and she was forever grateful that she would never see herself becomes so unsightly and incompetent. "Come along, we have a young woman to visit."

Neji said nothing, only gestured to the men and women he led in the security team.

Of course, Koharu thought their presence was rather redundant. Even in her advanced years, she was still far stronger and hardier than any mortal. Still, it made the humans feel better she supposed and she had been playing their games far too long to stop now.

The ride to the hospital was short and quiet, the stately car with the seal of the Konoha Assembly on the front easing their journey through the city. It was still in chaos from Shisui's dramatics, and much of the city was still without power, Sasuke's doing no doubt.

It was fascinating, seeing how quickly human's reverted back to being little more than ants on a world stage, small and scurrying around, wide eyed and panicked. Koharu found them pitiful.

"Ma'am."

Koharu ignored Neji's disapproving air and let herself out of the car. Her security team swept her upstairs, bypassing the front desk altogether. A woman of Koharu's stature did not wait to be allowed in.

The floor was in a state of practiced movement, nurses and doctors hurrying from place to place.

Of all the humans in the world, it was medical professionals Koharu liked the most. They were always calm and professional, clinical and rational. They were the most reasonable of humanity, none of that irritating irrationality that often got the better of humans and made them do stupid, noble things for the sake of others.

The room they came upon was a private one, and there were two stern police officers stationed outside the doors. The curtains were drawn, and talking to a doctor, perhaps the smartest human Koharu had ever encountered.

Shikaku Nara was dangerously perceptive and many a time, the three of them had considered having him killed. He asked too many pointed questions and his eyes were quicker than most.

In the end, he lived, only because he was almost as good at positioning himself in the games they played on capitol hill, as they were. His death would be too heavily scrutinised, and besides, even if he did know, what could he say? Gods and Goddesses and Eldritch monsters from before time? Those things would ruin his reputation.

There was nothing but cool professionalism in Shikaku Nara's eyes as he hung up one whoever he was talking to and strode over to meet her party. Koharu did not miss the way he positioned himself between the room holding Sakura Haruno.

He knew she was up to something.

No matter.

"Councilwoman Utane."

"Chief Nara." Koharu greeted cordially. "I've come to see if that poor child is alright."

The wily man didn't believe her, that much was clear, but he said nothing about it. "She is under observation, but at this point, I cannot reveal more to members of the public." He said diplomatically. "Her family has asked for privacy at this time."

Koharu nodded slightly, tucking her bag more securely against her front. "Might I speak with them for a few moments? I would like to offer my support."

Chief Nara's eyes narrowed. "I'll ask them." He said, voice bordering on testy.

Koharu knew he suspected her of political manoeuvring and he would be correct, but he had no idea of the scale of the game she was playing. "Thank you, Chief Nara, I do appreciate it."

He nodded sharply and then turned on his heel and strode away. One of the police officers eyed Koharu warily, dark blue eyes agitated.

A few moments later, the door to Sakura Haruno's room open and Chief Nara showed a tall, portly man with stupid looking hair out. This must have been Sakura's father and Koharu thought that the pretty girl was rather lucky she had only inherited his ridiculous, unnatural hair colour and nothing else.

Koharu put on a grandmotherly smile. "Hello, you must be Kizashi Haruno?" She greeted, holding out a hand.

The dazed, exhausted man shook her hand gingerly. He looked tired and old, face haggard with stress and worry and for a brief moment, Koharu felt for him. She might not have children of her own, but she had seen the innocence in many human children, in their smiles and naïve curiosity. Sakura, despite her age, still had that innocence in her eyes.

"Hello, y-you… Mr. Nara said you wanted to see Sakura?" He said, voice deep and husky with lack of sleep.

Koharu held his hand between her own, smiling up at him. "I know it is a trying time for you, Mr. Haruno, so I will keep my visit short." She said kindly. "I just wanted to offer my support and gratitude that Sakura is okay. I hear you and your wife do not live in Konoha?"

Kizashi blinked, a watery smile splitting his lips briefly. "No, no, we live about three hours from here. We have a daffodil farm- Um, also some Mango trees because Sakura likes them."

Koharu didn't care about his farm but she nodded anyway. "It sounds wonderful." She murmured. "I'm sure Sakura misses it. I know that the city is in a disarray because of all the bad weather we have been having and I can't imagine it was easy for you to have found accommodations."

Her hunch that Sakura's parents hadn't even considered that was vindicated when Kizashi looked panicked, blinking a few times, face paling.

She smiled, patting his hand. "I have a home that sits unused. I would be more than happy to let you stay there. After everything you must have gone through these past few days, it is the least I can do." She pretended to be upset, looking down and shaking her head. "You entrusted your daughter to the city of Konoha and we failed in our responsibility to look after her."

"Oh no, no, I know none of this was…"

Koharu shook her head gently. "Please, allow me to take the blame." She said. "I have followed the story closely and I feel awful for how it played out. I cannot be more grateful that Sakura will be okay." She glanced around at Neji. "Please, remain here until the Haruno's are ready to leave and then take them to my townhouse on Karori hill."

Neji nodded brusquely. "Of course, Honoured Councilwoman."

"Oh no, we couldn't impose… and we'd feel so bad because other people are-" Kizashi Haruno tried, but Koharu wasn't having it.

She needed the Haruno's where she could watch them. If she wanted to get ahead of Sasuke, she needed to be as close to Sakura as possible, especially because there was little question that he was coming for her.

No, if she let the Haruno's generosity and humbleness get the best of them, she risked leaving herself open to Kagami's machinations.

"Please, let me do this for you." Koharu insisted.

Kizashi Haruno's face crumpled into gratefulness and relief. "Oh thank you, Councilwoman-"

Shaking her head, Koharu patted the man's hand once more, feeling the callouses of hard work on his palm. "Koha, please."

Koha because she suspected that at least one of the damned Uchiha brothers would have named her and her erstwhile teammates. She had to tread carefully to not tip Sakura off and send the young woman scurrying into the arms of those demonic men.

The rest of the visit was spent in platitudes that Koharu did not care for but were necessary in order to ensure that Sakura's parents told their daughter of her generosity. The Uchiha would not touch Sakura, not after what she had done for them, and Koharu planned to take advantage of that.

From all accounts, the young woman was a generous, bleeding heart. Volunteering at hospitals, helping birds and animals, tutoring highschoolers.

A lovely young woman.

Naïve and so very trusting.

And that was what Koharu was banking on.

The car was still waiting for them downstairs, the sun shining brightly. There was no trace of clouds or storms but Koharu did not take that to mean the Uchiha were not in Konoha. No, the subtler of the six, Itachi, Kagami and Shisui, when he was in the mood for it, they often moved unseen and she could not assume that the sunny day meant anything at all.

It could mean everything, or nothing.

There was a chill in the air as the car door opened and she looked up. For a brief second, she caught a glimpse of glaring red eyes and dark hair.

She smiled. Sasuke was so very easy to rile up.

 _Child._

* * *

They hadn't even entered the house when the CSU team got there.

On the way into the house, Kakashi noticed that there were freshly planted flowers in the front garden, just by the stairs. Given that Kyoko had supposedly been missing for a few weeks and Sayaka had been in prison for four days, there shouldn't have been any freshly planted anything. Add the fact that Sayaka supposedly didn't like the garden and it was becoming more and more likely that Kyoko wasn't just away for a holiday.

They'd lingered by the flowers until the forensic team got there.

Shion, the team leader hurried up to them, clutching a big camera. Her jacket was two sizes too big for her and was slipping down one shoulder. She was one of the smartest women Kakashi had ever met and somehow, she always looked like she had forgotten something. "We were told you might have a body?"

Kakashi pointed at the patch of flowers. "Planted fresh." He said. "Kyoko Watanabe has been 'on holiday' for two weeks, supposedly."

Shion looked at the flowers, frowning. "It's definitely been disturbed." She said, pulling her camera up to take a few pictures. She looked up at Kakashi and Genma. "We don't have a cadaver dog, so we'll have to tear it up to see if there is anything here. Could take a while."

Genma nodded. "That's fine. Shion, you and your team work on this. If you find something, we'll be inside."

Shion nodded, already hurrying away to prep and brief her team.

They all looked so young, far too young to be on a potential crime scene, but Kakashi didn't say that. He just sighed and followed his partner and the prosecutor up the stairs of the Watanabe house.

There was a cheerful shelf of succulents by the door. Genma stroked one leaf tentatively. "She really liked plants." He murmured. "Must have taken her years to grow a collection like this."

Liked.

God they were already talking about Kyoko like she was dead.

Kakashi rubbed a hand over his face as Genma fished out the key they'd taken off Sayaka's keychain and unlocked the front door.

The inside of the house was just as bright and well put together as the outside. Dark wood panelled floors, a beautiful galley kitchen and a homey lounge greeted them. Beyond that, in the dining room, Kakashi could see a classically built table and a set of French doors leading outside into the backyard.

Kyoko Watanabe certainly had an eye for design.

"Where do we start with this?" Genma asked quietly. He wasn't expecting an answer, they both knew what to do.

They swept the first level of the house first. The kitchen, lounge, study and dining rooms were all clean and neat, as if they had been tidied. They were both careful not to touch anything.

There was a picture of Sayaka and Kyoko in the study. Kyoko was beaming, strikingly similar to her daughter. Both of them dark haired and dark eyed, with tall, slender frames and olive skin. They could have passed for sisters.

"Oi!" Genma called, voice echoing down the stairs.

Kakashi poked his head out of the study, looking up at his partner.

Genma looked grim and he jerked his head. "Sayaka's room." He said shortly. "I found that motive Morino wanted."

Kakashi trekked up the stairs after his partner. There was another picture of Kyoko and Sayaka on the landing table. This time they were at the beach, Kyoko holding onto her hat and Sayaka holding an ice cream. The sea behind them was turquoise, rather than blue, Suna then.

Had Kakashi not known Sayaka, he would have thought they were just a happy mother and daughter.

Genma was standing in the middle of Sayaka's room when Kakashi entered.

The room looked relatively innocuous. A queen bed shoved up under the window, a small bedside table with a lamp and some trinkets. A wardrobe left half open, cheap, mass produced clothes spilling out. There was a desk, a pencil cup and some binders, labelled neatly for university courses.

There was a plastic bin on the ground, half under the bed.

His partner had pulled off the lid, handkerchief in hand. "You know many twenty two year olds with centuries old scrolls in their rooms?" He asked sarcastically, gesturing to the bin.

Kakashi could see the ancient, yellowing paper, rolled up tight and bound with red string. Genma yanked the bin out fully and set the lid aside. Next to about six of those old scrolls, were notebooks, library books, scraps of paper.

And slotted neatly down the side of them, a cheap laptop.

"Didn't we get Sayaka's laptop?"

"We did. It was clean." Genma said, pulling the silver machine out carefully. He was careful not to touch it with his bare hand. "Willing to bet she did all of her incriminating stuff on here." He guessed.

Kakashi crouched next to his partner, peering into the bin. He carefully levered one of the scrolls out. It was heavier than he expected but even so, he was gentle with it. No use to them if it disintegrated in his hand.

He undid the old string tying it shut and the old parchment rolled open slowly, retaining a loose curl at the end. his eyebrows rose when he saw the ancient writing inscribed on the page in rusty red ink, the symbols primitive and flowing.

"This is…" He squinted at it. "I have no idea what this is."

"Apparently," Genma said, making Kakashi look up. his partner had abandoned the laptop for now and was looking at one of the notebooks, "that is ancient Sunaion."

"Sunaion? Isn't that a dead language?"

"Yup. Sayaka has a whole alphabet in here, looks like she was translating them." Genma shook his head. "This is all just random words, I, me, moon, blood- Hang on there's a name. Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi, Jing…zi…?"

"Uchiha." Kakashi realised. "These scrolls, they must be about the old Uchiha clan and the compound. Is there anything else in there, maybe about sacrifice or something? Goats? Virgins?"

"Virgins- This isn't a movie, Kakashi!"

"Well I don't know what ancient mythological gods are into!" Kakashi retorted, rolling the scroll back up and slotting it back into the bin.

Genma gave him an unimpressed glare. "Virgins. Honestly."

Kakashi made a face at the books as he picked up one of the other notebooks. There were only two, the rest of the stack of books made up from old history textbooks, some from libraries, some so old they didn't have covers.

He flipped it open and found something even he hadn't expected.

Naruto Uzumaki. Ino Yamanaka. Hinata Hyuga. Chouji Akimichi. Kiba Inuzuka.

The list went on and on and on.

The vast majority of the names had red x's beside them. Three didn't.

Hinata Hyuga, Chouji Akimich and Sakura were all still without a red x.

"Hey, listen to this…" Genma said suddenly, still engrossed in his book. "The child must be of naïve blood and heart, with a kind soul and generous words. Any less and they will burn alive. A moon without light- They're instructions." He said incredulously, looking up.

"For whatever occult ritual she was trying to do that night." Kakashi finished. He turned the page.

 _Hinata – Too well protected, will be missed._

 _Chouji – Too fat. Might be able to overpower me._

That just left Sakura.

It seemed Sayaka had come to that conclusion as well, and on the next page Sakura beamed out at him. She was dressed in an oversized lab coat, holding up a key card with the Konoha Women's Hospital Logo on it and her name printed in bold. One of the photo's from her Instagram, Kakashi remembered it had been the first day of her internship.

Class schedule, work schedule at Sakura's retail job, her shifts at the hospital, her gym routine. Sayaka had even sussed out Sakura's volunteering at the rescue shelter.

Next to it, Sayaka had written a date and underlined it.

1/10/18.

The day she pushed Sakura down the well.

"Genma, I found that smoking gun Chief wanted." He said, tilting the book for his partner to see.

"And I found this. Listen," Genma said, shifting to standing, "spill the blood of a kind heart, give something true and earnest and the seal will be undone."

"What seal?"

"Uh…" Genma flipped back a few pages. "There's a story here, about how the Uchiha Lordling and his family were sealed under the mountain by the Senju clan- Sayaka has some notes here about it… She really believes this stuff? Everyone knows it's just a story."

An image of the dark haired man in Akiyama's uniform flashed into Kakashi's minds eye. "Anything else?"

"She's got this weird diagram of those symbols." Genma said, showing Kakashi the book. The symbols looked eerily similar to the ones on Ino and Sayaka's wrists. They were traced with a careful hand, inked, rather than written in pen. "She wanted to let the Uchiha out? Maybe she is crazy…"

"Even if she is, she was sound of mind enough to plan this out. She stalked Sakura, made a list of possible candidates." Kakashi said shortly. He stood up as well, knees protesting angrily from staying crouched too long. "We need to get this stuff down to the station and these scrolls to an expert."

"Agreed-"

"Detectives?"

Kakashi turned to see Shion standing in the doorway. She was holding a clipboard. She pushed her glasses up. "Unfortunately, your hunch was correct." She said quietly. "We found body of a middle aged woman under the daisies."

Genma let out a long sigh. "I'll be damned."

"You blocked it off from sight?"

"Yes sir. We made sure no one could see, but they will see the bag when we stretcher her out to the van." Shion said. "She's wrapped in a tarp, so it should make it easier to get her out of the hole."

Kakashi tossed the notebook into the plastic bin. "Alright, Shion. You and your team keep working. Once the body is ready for transport, Genma and I will go with it. You guys finish up here, sweep the house, focus on the mother's bedroom and the living room in particular."

"Yes sir." Shion said. She shook her head a few times. "I had hoped they were just flowers." She said sadly as she trekked back down the stairs.

Kakashi rubbed his eyes. They stung fiercely, and he was hungry and tired. He really, really needed a solid twelve hours sleep and some proper food.

Genma grunted as he picked up the plastic bin. "May as well get this down to the car. I'll call ahead, see if Kurenai can't wrangle us up a nerd from the museum." He said, walking past Kakashi and out of the bedroom.

Kakashi lingered behind, unable to banish the image of the dark haired man from his mind.

The same man who just happened to have Sakura's phone, that had the recording on it that had blown the case wide open.

The red glow, the flooding, the power outages.

Could there be a kernel of truth in what Sayaka had been researching?

Kakashi immediately shoved that thought away with a scoff. Myths and legends were just that, old stories made up to scare kids into going to bed and staying there. There might well have been an Uchiha Warlord with five brothers' who brought the Fire continent to heel, but they were men.

He took one last look around Sayaka's room.

They had all they needed to put Sayaka in a cell for the rest of her life. A body, a survivor, the video, and now her stalker's journal.

Even so.

He wanted to find something else. Just one more thing, the last nail in the coffin so to speak.

Kakashi swept his eyes over her desk, looking for anything that might seem out of place. It wasn't easy because Sayaka was a psychopath and didn't think the same way about her possessions that most people did.

Eventually, he saw it.

A small white pot of paint, sitting next to her pencil case. It was an inconspicuous thing, no bigger than an old fashioned ink well. There was even a glass stopper in the top.

The painted symbols on Ino and Sayaka's wrists sprang to mind. Kakakshi shook out his sleeve and carefully picked up the surprisingly heavy glass bottle.

Cradling it carefully, he tucked it into his pocket and followed after his partner.

"I've already called ahead." Genma said briskly as Kakashi stepped onto the porch.

The forensics team had already loaded the body, wrapped in a black bag, onto a stretcher and were wheeling it out to the van.

Ms. Tanaka and a few neighbours were watching with wide eyes. Thankfully, none of them had the courage or the sense to come closer.

"Shizune's ready for us at the medical examiners' office. We'll drop…" Genma took a deep breath. "We'll leave the body with her and then head back to the station to start sorting through this. Chief Nara said Kurenai and Asuma volunteered to help."

"That's good. Four sets of eyes are better than two." Kakashi agreed. He held out the pot for Genma to see. "Found it on her desk. You think it's the stuff she used on Ino?"

Genma squinted at it. "We didn't get a sample off Ino or Sayaka, so there's no way to tell. Guess it can't hurt though."

"We're all eady to go." Shion said, sounding rather distracted. She was writing something down on her clipboard as she approached. "The team and I will stay here and process the rest of the house. We'll bring down anything else we find."

Genma patted her on the shoulder. "Thanks, Shion."

"Oh you don't need to thank me, it's my job." She said before wandering off. She half tripped going up the stairs.

"How old is she?" Genma asked in disbelief.

"13 or 30? Nobody knows." Kakashi said, shaking his head. A few of the forensic techs hurried by them, following Shion back into the house. They had already dismantled the makeshift tarpaulin wall they had erected to shield the burial site from the street. "Come on. You drive the car back, I'll drive the van."

* * *

Genma sighed, reclining back in his chair. Across from him, Asuma had passed out, head fallen onto his chest and arms folded. There was a photocopy of Sayaka's notebook in front of him along with a cold cup of coffee.

Groaning, Genma tapped his phone.

Nearly two thirty.

Of course it was.

He glanced towards the office door. Kakashi had wandered out nearly two hours ago, claiming to only be getting coffee. Genma betted he was passed out in the breakroom again. Though, he couldn't blame his partner at all.

They'd had one hell of a week and all of them were exhausted. Genma wanted a hot shower and a week off to sleep and eat shitty take out.

Rubbing his eyes, Genma tried to refocus on the notebook in front of him.

It was slowly, slowly adding up.

Sayaka was obsessed with the stories of the Uchiha. The scrolls had been taken away by an expert for examination, which left them with the notebooks and the laptop.

Hayate had cracked it with relative ease and they had found hundreds of articles, academic and decidedly not, saved in various folders on the computers. All of them mentioned the Uchiha in some capacity.

Sayaka had taken extensive notes. The supposed names of the Uchiha's, stories of their prowess on the battlefield, diagrams of the compounds, pictures and recreations of the drawings and paintings done by ancient artists.

Not only that, but she was oddly fixated on the after of undoing the supposed seal.

She had circled, made notes of, written and re-written down the same words, over and over again.

 _Spill the blood of a naïve heart, attain power._

It was a bastardisation of the full inscription she had based her 'sacrifice' of Sakura on.

Attain power? From what? Genma didn't understand. He got the first part – Sakura was clearly the naïve heart, but what power was Sayaka talking about? The Uchihas? Power of dead warlords?

Even if he hadn't managed to puzzle through everything she had written, Sakaya was thorough and very, very good at collating all of her work. It was dated, titled, everything you could ever want.

But it was so baffling.

Sayaka was a woman of science. Based on their conversations with her, Genma couldn't see her as the type to subscribe to centuries old stories about mythology and legend. And her certainly couldn't see her setting up such an elaborate plan just to kill someone.

She truly believed it was real.

And that was what so strange.

Did she actually expect something to happen once she 'sacrificed' Sakura?

Genma rubbed his eyes again. Around and around he went in his head and he was getting nowhere. He sighed heavily, leaning back to stare at the ceiling.

They had more than enough to take the case to Judge Sarutobi, pressure Yono in getting a guilty plea.

Sayaka wouldn't take it. Genma knew that. She was far too proud for that.

Still. Genma was so fixated on the why of it. Sayaka just wasn't the type to be so superstitious and yet…

"You're going to make your head explode trying to figure out a psychopath, Detective."

Genma damn near fell out of his chair at the unexpected intrusion. He was just glad he'd hung up his gun in the weapons locker or he might be on the hook for accidentally shooting the Chief of Police in the face. "Sir, damn, you scared me." He said, rising.

Chief Nara waved a hand dismissively. "Why am I not surprised to find three of my finest passed out in various locations around the station?" He muttered. "I said to investigate, not kill yourselves trying to pin this on Watanabe."

"I was just trying to-"

"We have the body of Kyoko Watanabe, Sakura Haruno and the video. _This_ , just breaks down any chance of that insanity plea sticking. Sayaka was going away regardless of whether we found motive." Chief Nara admonished. He sighed. " _Go home_ so my wife stops badgering me about treating you lot badly."

Genma snorted tiredly. "I think I may be more of a danger if I try to drive home now." He admitted. And he would be. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. If he drove home as he was, he'd end up in a ditch somewhere.

The Chief nodded. "I saw a spare couch in the breakroom." He said. When Genma didn't rise, he gave him a stern look. "I'd like to go home and get back to bed, Detective."

Genma sighed, flipping the file shut. "Yes sir." He hadn't even noticed that the Chief was dressed down in jeans and an old t-shirt. "We should have more by tom-."

"Tomorrow, the four of you are off. I so much as get a whiff of you being in here and I'll throw you all out the window." Chief Nara interrupted. "We've had a long week, Genma. Sayaka's not getting out and Sakura Haruno is safe. We can take a day to rest up."

Genma sagged. He wasn't sure if it was from relief or disappointment. The Chief left, and Genma pulled his jacket off the back of the chair. He made sure Asuma wasn't in any danger of falling off the chair or ending up in some uncomfortable position and then wandered off to the breakroom.

Kurenai was curled up in one of the huge, plush arm chairs, one of the emergency blankets tucked around her shoulders.

Kakashi was asleep at the table, head pillowed on his arms. There were four cups of coffee on the table in front of him and Genma sighed.

Looked like his perpetually ridiculous partner had actually been getting coffee.

The sofa was free and Genma lay down gratefully. He was asleep before his head hit the cushion.

* * *

Madara rolled the little grey rock between his forefinger and thumb. He narrowed his eyes.

He knew the trace of magic on it.

Shisui. It was always Shisui. He never could help himself when beauty was involved.

He glanced at the young woman sleeping in the bed. Her head was heavily bandaged, as was her wrist. He didn't feel bad about her injuries, he hadn't caused them, and they weren't life threatening. She would heal.

She had dropped this when she had fallen over and before the prison had eaten itself and Madara had let his power flare for the first time in a millennium, he had picked it up. She had been clutching it their entire conversation, he did not think she had even noticed how tightly she was holding it.

A trinket. Pretty, but ultimately, useless.

"She threw that at Sasuke apparently." Kagami said, grabbing Madara's wrist to look more closely at the little lump of star-glass in his palm. The pebble had long since lost the shine it took when imbued with the power of an ancient.

Madara let it fall into his younger brother's hand. "And what, did he do to deserve that?" He asked.

Kagami hummed. "Not sure. He would not say. But it was obviously rather hurtful, Sakura does not strike me as a violent woman." He said breezily, sounding very amused and almost proud. "He was quite offended."

Madara decided not to tell his meddling, smug little brother about her trick with his gunbai. Kagami would no doubt find it hilarious and in no time, Madara would find himself being pestered by a laughing Shisui and smug Sasuke.

He had no interest in that. Besides he still had to figure it out for himself.

"I bet he was." Madara said. "It is not often that a woman sees Sasuke's face and decides to throw something at him."

"Karin punched him."

That made Madara snort. He remembered the fiery haired lover Sasuke had taken long ago. They had been a whirlwind of emotion, raging and clashing against each other only to settle in connection for a brief time. "Karin was a seer. She saw past the glow he inherited from mother." He said.

Kagami played with the rock, tossing it into the air and letting it wink in an out of existence. "A welcome change."

"Indeed." Madara eyed the vanishing and reappearing rock. "Stop that." He warned.

Kagami smiled.

The pebble vanished and Madara snatched it out of the air just above his head, just before it could hit him. " _Juvenile_. I expected better of you, Kagami." He said, curling his fingers around the pebble.

"Let me have my fun."

Madara raised an eyebrow at Kagami sceptically, rising from his place seated on the windowsill. "As if you have not already been interfering in things that do not concern you."

"Everything concerns me." Kagami said easily. "Koha-ru has made her move. She intends to use Sakura as a shield."

"So be it." Madara said. "We will burn that bridge when we get to it." He did not comment on the strange pause in Koharu's name. The woman had been, and despite what Kagami said, still was, a soft spot for his younger brother. He did not blame him. They had all been hurt by the betrayal.

"That is not how the saying goes."

Madara gave his younger brother a strange look. He was not aware of any… saying? But then, it was Kagami and he was always made the strangest connections between things. "You are dressed like them."

"It is called adapting." Kagami said, tugging on Madara's armour. "You must to or you will stand out."

"It is completely impractical." Madara said dryly.

"Feel how soft it is." Kagami said. "Syn-then-tick, I think the woman said. I am not quite sure what that means."

Madara ignored the proffered shirtsleeve in favour of taking two steps over to the woman's bedside. There was an old, well loved rabbit tucked into the crook of her arm and someone, her mother most likely, had put a colourful blanket over her. "Where are the others?"

"Itachi is looking for Obito." Kagami said. "Sasuke and Shisui are moving against Danzo."

Madara narrowed his eyes. "Danzo has nearly bested the both of them-"

"He is weakened. He will not touch them again." Kagami promised darkly. "They will not be in danger again. Not from him."

Madara still worried. Shisui's loss of sight all those years ago had rattled them all. He remembered the way his brother had stumbled back from the battlefield, eyes sockets empty and blood trailing down his cheeks like tears. An ambush attack, treason and the breaking of the treaty they had all signed in blood.

Shisui had been blindsided and severely outnumbered. Even so, his little brother had left a trail of bodies behind him. It filled Madara with a sense of savage pride. Even in an unfair fight, his family was steadfast.

Sasuke had gone after Danzo for revenge and nearly lost his head. He had lost Karin and it had shattered Sasuke, enough that Danzo may have gotten the killing blow had Obito not arrived to spirit him away.

His glove creaked as he tightened his fist around the rock.

Kagami caught his wrist. "It is not yours to break, Madara." He warned, but there was only understanding his words. "Shisui will be upset if you ruin it."

Madara scoffed, but loosened his grip nonetheless.

Kagami plucked the rock from his palm and blew on it gently. It lit up like a joyous Naraoia in the summertime. His little brother hummed a quick tune and then set the rock on the bedside table with a quiet click. "We should not linger. There is a Senju in the building."

Madara looked at his brother sharply.

Kagami raised a hand to calm him. "A descedant, she is weak and untrained. I sense nothing of Hashirama in her."

Even so. Any Senju was a dangerous one.

"Do not." Kagami warned. "She is Sakura's mentor. She will suspect us."

Well.

Madara glared at the young woman in the bed. She was an enigma. Linked to a Senju, able to wield his Gunbai despite the fact that she was nothing more than an average mortal. Her family lineage was nothing special and Madara sensed nothing in her that spoke of relation to the ancients, or even ancient mortal families.

Kagami tugged on his sleeve, much like a child would. "Come. You can tell me about how she managed to wield your Gunbai."

Madara snatched at his brother but he was gone before he could grab him.

* * *

I had a story line planned for Karin and Sasuke, but I didn't have room in his chapter. It'll be revisited, I already have it plaaaaaaaaaaaaned. Also, yes, I changed the Karin gets stabbed by Sasuke to Danzo. Because… stabby Sasuke is bad.

Sunaion – Fictional Covenant planet from Halo. Couldn't come up with a name for a dead language and I didn't want to just call it Latin lol.

Naraoia – Primitive marine arthropod from the Cambrian period

Also, did you like my… pun? BLINDSIDED LOL. I'm so sorry.


	9. Day 9: One Mistake

Sorry guys. I know I said I'd upload the day after 8 went up, but my mum got into an accident and I got bronchitis (in Spring?) and I wasn't even thinking about this at all.

Ghost Stories

Day 9: One Mistake

Sayaka rolled the plastic cup with one finger, pretending to be bored out of her mind.

The dry, featureless cell and bland food would do that.

It was all carefully set up by the police. Deprive someone of anything to keep them occupied, any company and it would make them that much more malleable when it came to interrogating them. Sayaka knew all about it. She'd read the old books in the library, cover to cover.

It was a good thing that Sayaka was well practiced in keeping herself occupied in the comfort of her own mind.

Having a mind numbingly stupid mother would do that to a child.

She pushed the cup off the bed, watching it bounce away.

She wondered how it long it would be until they found her mother under the daisies in the yard. Surely the detectives had gotten their little piece of paper letting them look through her things.

It incensed her, the thought of that. It shouldn't happen, not after all of her work, but it was.

She glared at the cup.

 _Where were they?_

She had been calling them since the moment she'd heard Sakura's body impact the bottom of the well. She'd read and reread the manuscript and still, they didn't come.

It was getting annoying.

She was stuck in this stupid fucking cell and they didn't have the grace to come and thank her for all of her work? She had freed them, done hours and hours of research, poured blood, sweat and tears into this endeavour and still they eluded her.

Sayaka let out a sigh, flopping onto her back.

She could see the camera in the corner of the room, black and bubble eyed. She knew they were watching her on it, watching the 'crazy psychopath girl'.

Her lip curled. Yono was chasing the insanity defence and that pissed Sayaka off almost as much as the lack of Uchihas'.

Sayaka knew what she was. Cold, calculating, unfeeling. A psychopath. Without empathy. She had known for a long time, since she was a child and her mother had been tentative with her, more prone to staring at Sayaka with fearful eyes rather than pride.

But she _wasn't_ crazy, and the thought of being reduced to nothing more than insane infuriated her.

If people thought she was crazy- it would invalidate all of her hard work. And she would just be that crazy girl.

Sayaka rolled away from the camera, so it couldn't see her face.

Her hand was shaking. She wanted to hit something.

Surprised and terrified brown eyes flashed in her minds eye. Her mother had been so confused and scared when Sayaka had tackled her in the living room.

It was the first time Sayaka had hurt a person to kill. She'd hurt classmates, friends, other children before. Slapping them, pulling their hair, pinching them, but she was always just careful enough to make it look like play.

When she'd punched her mother, it wasn't play. Her mother had begged, cried out for her sweet, kind child to please, stop, oh wouldn't she stop?

Sayaka had enjoyed destroying that stupid, insipid image her mother had built up in her mind. She hated her, _hated her so much_. For always being so goddamn weak and stupid all the time, for always being so meek and scared.

She was a terrible mother, always simpering and showing Sayaka her stupid garden and cooking as if she wanted praise. She always brought Sayaka useless things, like pencils and big art books, new toys or a stupid fantasy novel.

" _Sayaka, honey, come look!"_

Sayaka hated those words.

" _Sayaka, did you see? I found this adorable little owl door stop for you!"_

Useless trinkets.

" _Sayaka, come look at the flowers! Aren't they beautiful?"_

She didn't want to be like her mother, all stupid, doe eyes and no ambition. No on respected her mother, no one was afraid of her or saw her as worthy of a second thought.

Sayaka wasn't able to stifle her scoff as she remembered her mother's tears. Stupid woman.

She remembered the way her mother's eyes had gone dark when she'd died.

She'd seen it before, on the neighbourhood cats and rabbits.

But seeing on a person sent a thrill of exhilaration through her like nothing Sayaka had ever felt before. A person kind of… slumped when they died, going limp in a way that wasn't anything like sleep.

There was a heaviness to it. It was like a bell tolling.

The imagery of that made Sayaka smile.

Her mother was stupid, but in the end, she had been useful to Sayaka at least once. Her blood was the last thing she had needed for the white paint for the seals on Ino and the basement walls. So her mother hadn't been completely devoid of uses.

Something clanged outside the cell and she heard people walking by, talking about something. Their voices were muffled. They didn't come in or even pause by her cell and Sayaka snarled at the wall.

She hated being ignored.

Sakura was just like her mother, bug eyed and a stupid, inane outlook on life. She was so kind and sweet it made Sayaka feel ill. Sakura had been the perfect victim, kind to a fault, shy and so trusting.

Sayaka had gotten the same thrill when she saw Sakura's eyes widen and her face drop in terror as she pushed her down the well.

Sayaka clicked her tongue in frustration.

 _It should have worked_.

She had measured the well with some old glow sticks. It had to be over seventy metres deep. Sakura was dead. So where were the Uchihas? Why hadn't they answered her summons?

She had seen one, briefly in the police station. It was definitely an Uchiha, she had seen his red, swirling eyes that were carbon copies of the ones she had seen painted on the walls of the old Senju temple buried under the botanical gardens.

"Patience." He had said.

Sayaka was sick of being patient.

She had been planning this for over a year and they wanted to keep her waiting even longer?

Completely unacceptable.

After all she had done to free them, and they had vanished like ether in the wind.

Useless.

All of her plans seemed to be failing and she couldn't figure out why. The Uchiha weren't here and she was the one in the cell, not Ino. Ino, who had somehow, resisted the seal telling her to confess. Sayaka couldn't understand how that could be.

Ino was a stupid bimbo, and she was still able to resist? It should have been impossible.

Sayaka's teeth ground together.

 _When_ she got out of here, she would pay Ino a visit and show her what happened when people didn't do what they were told. It frustrated her, because people needed to just do what they were supposed to and this whole thing would have played out like it should have.

But everything had gone wrong.

Everything!

She kicked the pillow across the room in a rare show of anger. Her heart was beating too fast and she knew she was glaring, but Sayaka didn't care.

She wasn't going to be in here long, so let them think her crazy.

She would show them.

All of them.

Danzo threw his jacket aside.

The city was recovering from the unexpected power outage and finally, finally the waters were starting to recede.

But Danzo knew better than to think that these incidents were unfortunate coincidences. They were not natural, nor were they random chance.

These things…

He scowled furiously.

Some stupid little harlot had gotten herself lost in the Uchiha compound, sacrificed by another university student, meddling in things they didn't understand. It was what humans did best, poking about in things that were best alone.

It was too easy for the stupid mortal to just die.

No, she had survived and had released the Uchiha from their cages. A stupid, completely brainless idiot with no regard for the evil she had unleased.

Young people, always meddling in things they did not understand.

That stupid girl and her equally stupid friends had no idea what they had unleashed on the planet, had no idea the evil that stalked the earth now. They didn't understand or even comprehend the mighty struggle it had taken to finally lock those awful, monstrous creatures away.

Centuries of work, undone by a stupid wench.

"Kana!" He snapped furiously, throwing his binder of papers onto the desk. He hated the politics of the modern world, they were asinine and petty.

But, humanity had always been obsessed with petty, stupid things. He supposed it was only fair, since they were short lived, ridiculous creatures with little more sense than beasts. But it infuriated him, having to play their inane games.

Times were simpler when he and his comrades had stood dominion over them.

He glared at his hand.

But those times were gone, as were the bulk of his power. Given up to lock away a creature with no regard for order or hierarchy or the way of things.

The flooding was a warning.

And the burning in his stolen eyes told him that the being he had locked away was furious.

And coming.

"Kana!" Danzo yelled, wondering where the woman had disappeared to this time. She was an infuriating woman, stunningly beautiful as many humans were, but with no brains or common sense.

Ripping off his tie, Danzo stomped through the dark lounge room of his apartment, high above Konoha's chaotic streets. The apartment was opulent, grand and well warded.

Danzo was not worried about being found.

Shisui could flood the planet all he wanted. He would not find Danzo or his comrades, none of the Uchiha would. While his power was gone, and his being diminished to little more than a long lived human, Danzo was still Cunning and Cunning would _never_ die.

He saw the remains of Kana's dinner on the marble island counter, a half drunk glass of champagne abandoned next to it. Her purse was sitting on a stool, her expensive leather jacket slung over the back.

The lounge was quiet, as was the study and the master bedroom was dark and empty. But the door to the ensuite was closed and under it, he could see a stripe of light.

He knocked on the door, expecting to hear Kana calling out to him. She enjoyed the benefits of his money and influence, spending his money on stupid, material things like clothes and make up and often spending hours in his bathtub, reclining and stretching out like a cat.

Danzo tolerated it because he could appreciate the sleek lines of her young body, the way the make-up made her eyes dark and smoky, the scraps of fabric humans called lingerie.

Kana didn't reply to him.

Instead, he could hear her music playing softly, a big band playing slowly, sensually while a woman crooned over the saxophones and trumpets. Of all the things humanity had created in their short time on the planet, Danzo thought that music was their greatest achievement.

It was nothing like the music his own kind created, raw and emotional. And no immortal sounded like a human did when they cried their laments or love to the sky.

Danzo stepped forward to open the door and then recoiled when his foot squished under him. He looked down and then frowned, squinting.

The plush white carpet was soaked with water.

A chill ran through Danzo and he shoved open the door to the bathroom. He hoped that Kana had just fallen asleep with the water on-

Kana was reclined in the bathtub, arms spread wide over the sides and head thrown back. Her eyes were closed, and her hair out for once, down around her shoulders and draped over her chest. She was obviously naked, breasts just peeking out of the bubbles.

Water flowed over the edge of the tub, the faucet turned on full and gushing clear, steaming water. There was water everywhere, pooled on the marble tiles and soaking through the bathmat Kana had laid out. The mirror was steamed up as was the floor to ceiling window that the tub sat in front of.

Kana's shampoo and numerous other bathing products had been swept off the edge of the bath tub and her towel, folded neatly on the little marble block at the end, was soaked through with water and bubbles.

Danzo stepped into the room cautiously, water swirling under his feet. It was oppressively hot in the bathroom and he could feel the expensive wool of his suit growing heavy with steam and condensation.

Kana's hands dangled limply, her forearms braced atop the edges of the large bath. Water dripped off one finger, plinking innocently into the thin layer of water on the floor.

Danzo stopped just next to the bath, heart in his throat.

The music swelled in the background.

Kana was stunning, even in death. Pale skin, dark lashes, and red mouth a stark, beautiful contrast. Her plush lips were parted slightly, just enough to let a trickle of water seep down the corner of her mouth.

Drowned.

Shisui had left her untouched, skin still perfectly porcelain. But then, violence was never Shisui's way.

Danzo was suddenly cold all over. This was impossible, inconceivable.

How-

No, they couldn't have found him, he had taken every precaution, every ward was perfect-

The water gushing out of the faucet cut off suddenly and room fell into oppressive silence.

Danzo turned on his heel and ran.

He got as far as the door.

Sasuke Uchiha loomed out of the darkness of the bedroom, eyes blazing red behind half closed lids. There was no smirk, only cold anger on the other Ancient's face.

Danzo stumbled back. This was not the young, naïve Sasuke of their last battle. That Sasuke was blinded by the rage of Shisui's eyes being stolen, further enraged by the death of his precious seer- this Sasuke, this Sasuke was-

"Sasuke, you scared him." Shisui crooned.

A wet hand raked through Danzo's hair, and Danzo stiffened in terror and impotent rage when Shisui pressed himself along his back. One hand remained in his hair, wetting the salt and pepper strands, and the other crawled around to Danzo's front, slow and sensual. Up it crept, Danzo pulling his head away as best he could.

Shisui's hand curled around his throat, loose and threatening.

"You always were hard to find." Shisui hissed, only the barest hint of anger seeping into his voice.

And then the hold around him turned to iron, locking Danzo in place. Shisui's elbow locked around his neck, choking off his air and the hand in his hair yanked hard, hard enough to bring tears to Danzo's eyes. He snarled furiously, struggling. But he was not the Ancient he once was, and Shisui was fuelled by a thousand years of rage.

"Your lovely friend was not." Shisui said, insidious and darkly amused. He leaned forward, soaking wet hair brushing against Danzo's cheek.

Danzo glared at him. The Ancient couldn't see his expression, but the delighted smile on Shisui's face told Danzo that he was enjoying this.

"A shame about her." Shisui said, tilting his head in a mockery of innocence. "I did make a promise after all."

Danzo struggled, but Shisui's hold was absolute. He didn't know what promise Shisui was talking about and he didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that he had to get away. One Uchiha, he might be able to handle if he was able to slap a seal on them, but two? Two was outside the realm of his power.

Danzo yanked on the dregs of his power. He had enough, just enough to shadow-step away. If he could make it to the edges of Konoha, he could get to the old Senju compound and-

Shisui's hand tightened and then he shoved Danzo away from him. The old, crippled Ancient stumbled into Sasuke. "You have something of mine." He hissed, coldly furious.

Sasuke scoffed, catching Danzo with a hard hand around the elbow and then shoving him to the floor cruelly. Danzo's old knees ached and protested painfully, cracking loudly when they hit the hard tile of the bathroom floor.

Danzo hated them both. He should have torn off Shisui's head when he had had the chance, arrogant, self-absorbed idiots with no concept of the greater good. Had he killed Shisui that day, Sasuke would have died as well and they would be ride of two monsters.

He tried to rise, loathe to be below them. He was their superior, their better in every way and he refused to kneel before them.

Sasuke flicked his hand lazily and Danzo choked when hot fingers of flame wrapped around his ankles, binding them to the floor. The water of the floor hissed and began to evaporate. Two more tongues of flames leapt from the floor, pulling his hands and wrists prone.

Shisui made no noise as he padded around in front of Danzo. He looked as he had the day Danzo had attacked him, and it made Danzo angrier.

Shisui was everything, _everything_ that Danzo hated- reckless, impulsive, arrogant and utterly devoid of any sense of dignity. Whoring around like he was a common mortal, cavorting with humans as if he were one of them.

"Does it burn?" Shisui asked, leaning down to stare at Danzo. The cruel smile on his face told Danzo all he needed to know. "Does it burn to know I would never, ever look at you? That I would choose mortals over you?"

Danzo strained, snarling. "Arrogant son of a bitch-"

Sasuke tilted his head, looking down his perfect, aristocratic nose. "Jealousy is unbecoming of you, Danzo." He taunted. He rolled his wrist and Danzo saw a wickedly sharp black dagger slip into his palm. "A thousand years I have wanted to carve out your eyes for what you did." He sneered.

But Sasuke didn't. instead, he handed the knife to Shisui.

Shisui grinned. He couldn't see, no, but Shisui had the best Foresight of all the Uchiha's. He didn't need his sight to kill Danzo. "Hold him." He said, spinning the knife in a hypnotic circle.

The music swelled, the singer lamenting her lost love.

Danzo hit the tiled floor face first. He was still alive, but he wouldn't be for much longer.

Sasuke kicked him in the shoulder, wishing it had been a fair fight. He wanted to tear Danzo to pieces for what he had done to his family, for what he had put Shisui and Karin through. He was a monster, capable of feeling nothing but greed and cruelty.

The other Ancient wheezed, breath rattling in throat and empty sockets seeping gold blood onto the floor. It mixed with the water, turning glittery and thin. Far too beautiful a thing for something like Danzo.

Even so, he couldn't help one last jab at the god lying at his feet. Sasuke flicked his fingers, and Danzo gasped, writhing in agony.

Eons ago, he and Koharu had devised a plan to keep Itachi imprisoned, burning his older brother alive from in the inside out. Sasuke didn't have access to any of Koharu's poisons, but he did have Amaterasu.

The old Ancient screamed, hands clawing at the ground as the black flames burned him from the inside out.

"So cruel." Shisui sighed.

Sasuke shot his older brother a sharp look. Shisui was cradling the stolen eyes carefully, knife still in his hand and gold blood staining his skin. "It is nothing he does not deserve." He said.

"Hm."

"Do not 'hm' me." Sasuke snapped. He snapped his fingers and Danzo choked and then fell silent, screams caught in his throat. He had no interest in hearing them now. Just seeing the old man writhe was enough.

"You sound like Madara." Shisui said.

"That is offensive." Sasuke said shortly. He held a hand out for the retrieved eyes. "You will end up with them in backwards." He lied.

In truth, he knew of no other way to help. Danzo was dead, or close to it, and the old Ancient was too weak to torture. Besides, Itachi had told them no mess. So this was all he could to do help Shisui.

His older brother did not call him out on it. The small smile told Sasuke that he saw straight through him though.

It was a delicate process, and Sasuke hated how Shisui hissed in pain, brow creasing. The anger made his power flare and behind them, Danzo writhed, back bowing as Amaterasu responded to her master's will, burning the Ancient more fiercely.

It was not enough to kill Danzo. Sasuke was sure of that.

Sasuke's hands were sticky with Shisui's thick gold blood by the end of it and his brother's shoulders were high with pain. He kept his hands on Shisui's face, cradling his jaw, forcing his head up. "Open your eyes." Sasuke pressed, worried that somehow Danzo had sabotaged the eyes.

Shisui blinked a few times, and then met Sasuke's gaze for the first time in over a thousand years. His brother inhaled, eyes dark and then with a flare of power, they spun red, tomoe bleeding into sharp points and then back again as he flared his strength.

Sasuke smiled, relieved when Shisui's own bloody hand clapped around his wrist tightly.

Shisui's free hand cupped the back of Sasuke's neck. "Unfortunate that you are the first thing I see. I was hoping for something pretty."

Sasuke scoffed, shoving his older brother away. "Ungrateful." He accused, but he was internally overjoyed.

Too long had the wrongs of the past hung over them. One down.

A hand clamped around Sasuke's ankle, drawing his attention. He looked down, turning and saw that Danzo was looking up at him, eyes empty and seeping blood. The old Ancient was pale and sweating, no doubt in agony, mouth open in a snarl.

"Do you want to end him, little brother?" Shisui asked, leaning his chin on Sasuke's shoulder, much like he had when they were children. "Or shall I?"

Sasuke didn't answer, kicking Danzo's hand away. Amaterasu was coiled beneath Sasuke's skin, salivating for a chance to do her master proud. She was angry, angry, so angry at being caged, at being forced to harm her master and she wanted nothing more than to _consume_.

So Sasuke let her go, unleashing her bounds completely.

She hissed in delight, swarming forward to engulf Danzo.

Shisui hummed a light tune. "Itachi did tell us not to make a mess."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Itachi tells us to do a lot of things." He grumped. Amaterasu was taking savage delight in burning away Danzo's flesh, whispering her apologies to Sasuke all the while.

They both felt it when Danzo died. The death of an Ancient was always a violent thing.

The body collapsed in on itself, and then with a high pitched scream of agony, Danzo's power imploded outwards. It shattered the glass of the mirror, the large windows in the bathroom. The water on the floor turned red, then black, and then to ash. The music died with a whine and above them, the lights shattered, plunging the apartment into darkness.

"Itachi is going to yell." Shisui pointed out blandly.

Sasuke agreed silently.

Day 10: Turn to Dust

"Bad news." Kakashi said as he got into the cruiser. He set down the cups of coffee he'd gotten from the store.

Genma looked up from his file of evidence. "What?"

Kakashi made a face. "Sakura's not doing so hot. Kurenai said that her brain is swelling."

Genma frowned, not starting the car just yet. They were on their way to the prison to speak to Sayaka once more, confront her with all of the evidence they had piled up against her, see if they couldn't get a confession out of her. "What does that mean?" He asked slowly.

His partner clicked his tongue. "She may not wake up."

Genma fought the urge to sag in the seat. He had been afraid of that.

He'd never spoken to Sakura, had never even met her outside of their desperate trip down the mountain to get her to safety. But he felt a sense of connection with her. He'd worked dozens of missing persons cases, but ones like this, where the victim was literally nothing more than a kind person in the wrong place at the wrong time, it always made him just that little bit more cynical.

Kakashi sighed heavily. "We can't do anything more for her, Genma."

"I know." He said. "I know."

"We'd better get going if we don't want to be late." Kakashi prompted a moment later. He looked at Genma meaningfully.

Genma sighed but started the engine anyway. "Don't drink my coffee." He snapped as he pulled the cruiser out of the carpark and onto the street. It was quiet out, most people still off work and school after the flooding, and with the power out, it wasn't like many places outside of service stations and emergency services had power anyway.

Kakashi fiddled with the cups. "You think she's going to crack today?"

He hoped she did, but Genma wasn't particularly convinced. Sayaka was as cold as they came. "No."

"Yeah me neither." Kakashi said. "This whole thing is just a power trip for Morino and Yugao. They want to show off all the hard work _we_ did. I could have done with another day off."

Privately, Genma agreed. While a full day off to recover was nice, it wasn't nearly enough to fix the damage done to his sleep cycle or eating habits. Not to mention he hadn't been to the gym in nearly a week. "You want to tell Yugao that?"

"I'm not an idiot." Kakashi said, sipping his coffee. "Sayaka's not breaking today, not even with the death penalty-"

Genma baulked, glancing over his partner as they got onto the highway leading to the outskirts of the city, and the turnoff that would take them to the super max prison. "Death penalty- I thought we weren't chasing that?"

"We weren't." Kakashi said grimly, shaking his phone. "Request came in from General Shimura's office yesterday morning."

"And Morino's honouring it? The Judge'll never agree to that, not when Sayaka's so young." Genma said incredulously. He was a cop, but he didn't believe in capital punishment, especially in Sayaka's case. She was a narcissist, and it would be more of a punishment being locked away and essentially forgotten by the world. "Why are we even taking advice from Shimura's office anyway- he doesn't have jurisdiction here."

Kakashi shrugged, playing with his phone. The coffees were balanced precariously on his knees and Genma could see an accident coming a mile away. "Morino wouldn't tell me, called me a meddling dickhead."

Well.

That wasn't untrue.

Genma leaned over, one eye on the road, the other on the coffee and snatched the coffee off Kakashi's knees.

"Driving one handed, now Genma I'm going to have to ticket you for that."

"I saved you from a scalded dick, you meddling dickhead." Genma shot back, settling the coffee into his own lap. There were no cars on the road anyhow. "Chief can't be happy about Shimura's interference."

"Haven't seen him, but from what Asuma said, he wasn't." Kakashi said.

The prison loomed out of the forest, deceptively pretty for a prison. Even so, it wasn't hard to mistake what it was, what with the rolls of barbed wire atop six different layers of fencing, the armed guard towers, and the deep trench dug around the perimeter, guarded by yet, another fence.

The guard was unsmiling as he took Genma and Kakashi's ID's and he didn't get any friendlier even when he saw they were police officers. He just waved them through, instructing them to park in carpark A2, and nowhere else.

"They might be more uptight than you, darling."

Genma regretting saving Kakashi's stupid ass from hot coffee. "Shut up."

"I was just saying."

Genma ignored Kakashi's bullshit. He had gotten good at it over the years, and it was more background noise now. It was also kind of comforting, especially since they would be going into a facility with the worst of Konoha's criminals.

They parked in A2, like the guard had told them to. There weren't many cars, maybe fifteen, and all of them were parked as far away from each other as possible.

The walk over to the entrance was equally as empty.

Yugao met them in the hallway where they were surrendering their weapons, badges, phones, and wallets. She was dressed impeccably, as always and she looked annoyed. "Fifteen minutes we've been waiting for you two." She snapped, waving away the coffee Kakashi offered her. "Hurry up, us being late already puts us on the back foot."

Kakashi sighed audibly and Genma made a face. More games.

Yugao and a guard led them down a series of winding, windowless corridors that were bathed in fluorescent light. It was gloomy and artificial in here and Genma hated to think what years in this place would do to someone.

The guard opened the door to an interview room. "Knock when you're done." He said blandly.

Yugao smiled at him and then turned to Genma and Kakashi. "You two are just here to listen and look pretty, understand? You're not supposed to be here, so you do what I say, got it."

Genma nodded and rolled his eyes when Kakashi saluted lazily.

Yugao huffed at them before sweeping inside, Kakashi and Genma hot on her heels.

Sayaka, Morino and Yono were already seated.

Yono looked annoyed as she looked up from her papers. "So we can begin then?"

"We can." Morino rumbled. He waited for Yugao to take her seat before he picked up the file. "We found some interesting things in our search of your home, Ms. Watanabe."

Sayaka sighed, looking bored. She stared at Morino, seemingly uninterested in what he had to say.

"Let's start with your mother." Morino said, pulling out the Medical Examiner's report Shizune had prepared for them. "Strangled to death. So violently that you actually broke her neck."

Sayaka just stared at them bullishly.

Next to her, Yono looked thunderous.

It was very clear that Sayaka hadn't been honest with Yono, and now the lawyer looked all the more foolish because of it. From the smirk on Yugao's face, it was a rare occurrence.

Genma didn't relish getting between them. Mei was bad enough, but Yono and Yugao? No thank you.

"Crushed her trachea, and broke two ribs while you were at it." Morino continued dispassionately. His eyebrows rose as he turned the page, feigning surprised with a deep inhale. "Your own mother. Cold, aren't you?"

Genma watched Sayaka's face carefully. She didn't even flinch when they slid the pictures of her mother across the table. In fact, a brief look of disgust crossing her face was the only change as she glanced down at the photographs uninterestedly.

It was chilling. Nearly as terrifying as watching Orochimaru's interviews.

They were obviously cut from the same cloth. Something fundamental was missing from both of them. It was just even more wrong on a young, beautiful woman like Sayaka. With Orochimaru, at least he looked the part of serial killer.

Sayaka just looked like any other young college student.

That was what made it so damn creepy.

"And then there is this…" Morino said, pulling out the photocopies they had made of Sayaka's notebooks, the research she had done, even the matching recording they'd found of a tiger growling that they suspected she had used to lure Ino and Naruto upstairs in the mansion. "Shall we read?"

"We shan't." Yono said shortly, done playing games. She held a hand out for the pages. "Give them to me. Why wasn't I informed of these beforehand."

"We left a message." Yugao said unhelpfully, smile huge and smug.

Yono spared them all a chilling glare that send a shiver up Genma's spine. He knew why Kakashi hated lawyers so much. They were all so intimidating.

The tall blonde looked down, perusing the files they had spent hours collating. Genma really hoped their late night work was solid- they didn't need anymore technicalities to contend with, especially with Sakura having survived.

There was no telling what Sayaka would do if she knew Sakura hadn't died.

Samui's face didn't change at all while she read, and outwardly she appeared completely calm. "Where did you get this?"

"Your client's bedroom. Right before we found Kyoko Watanabe under the flowers." Morino said smoothly. "You see those names on there, Samui? You see who else she targeted?"

"I doubt the Hyuga family will be pleased to know their heiress was in danger." Yugao said, rubbing her arm. "It's in your best interest to listen to the deal we have. They have pull and even we can't protect them from the influence they'll exert over this case."

Yono put the pages down. There was a slight tightening in her jaw and Genma saw the slightest shake of her fist before she hid it.

"Can we be done here?" Sayaka asked, interrupting. She looked at Yono, pouting. "I'm bored."

"Be quiet." Yono said sharply, obviously at the end of her patience. "Hurry it along, Morino. Why were we called here today?"

"We have more than enough evidence to tear your insanity defence to pieces." Yugao said smoothly. "We're here for a confession."

"And why," Sayaka cut in, voice dripping with derision, "would I do that?" She sneered. She looked around at them, lip drawn back in a snarl of disgust.

"You're looking at the death penalty." Yugao said, but there was a note of hesitation in her voice. "Confess and we'll convince Shimura to take it off the books."

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "God you're all so fucking stupid!"

"Sayaka! Stop it!" Yono snapped, rising from her chair and looking at the window where the guard was waiting outside. "Enough, we're done here. We'll see you at the trial."

"This isn't going to trial." Sayaka hissed, looking furious. Her eyes had narrowed and there was a flush of colour on her cheeks as she smiled at them. "I'm not going to be put away from this and you'll never get that death penalty you want."

"Saya-"

"Oh, shut up." Sayaka said, heaving an irritated sigh at her lawyer.

"Why aren't you going away, Sayaka?" Kakashi asked suddenly.

Genma eyed his partner. They weren't supposed to talk, just watch. They'd been allowed in on the condition that they 'shut the hell up and look pretty'. Kakashi shooting off was not boding well for staying on Morino's good side and Genma didn't want a shiny shoe up the ass.

Sayaka rolled her head around to look at them. "Haven't you been paying attention? Everything that Konoha's been through in the past week – did you think they were all coincidences?"

The room was quiet.

She couldn't think that…

Genma examined her face more closely, disbelieving. He hadn't bought Sayaka believing in the Uchiha stories, not one bit, but there was nothing but conviction on her face.

She actually thought that… that the ritual she had done was real.

The young woman pursed her lips. "If you're too dumb to figure it out, then I'll let what happens next speak for itself." She said, before turning away childishly.

Yono swallowed, slowly reaching for her briefcase. "We're done here." She repeated, but there was no confidence in her voice. "Now if you don't mind, I need to speak with my client alone."

Morino spread his hands wide like a blackjack dealer. "Whatever you'd like, Yono. You know my office's number if your client decides to change her mind." He said graciously. He collected their files off the table, tucking them away neatly before rising.

Yugao looked spooked as she stood up as well, eyeing Sayaka warily. "You have a good day, Samui." She said, uncharacteristically subdued.

Genma didn't blame her. Sayaka was an unsettling young woman, and her last outburst had put the whole room on high alert.

As they got ready to leave, Genma wanted to get back at Sayaka, wipe that smug smirk off her face once and for all. He was so sick of her always being so calm and collected and one step a head of them the whole time.

So before he walked out of the room, he paused, looking at her. "Oh." He said, raising his voice slightly, pitching it so it was clear he was speaking to her. He heard Morino and Yugao stop walking, saw Kakashi looking at him curiously. He ignored them in favour of staring at Sayaka.

She raised an eyebrow, bored.

"Sakura survived the fall." He said, putting on a fake smile. "Isn't that great?"

Just for a moment. Just for a brief moment, he saw it.

Unbridled rage.

She snarled for a second, and then visibly, struggling, got herself under control. Even if her face was blank, there was a cold promise in her eyes. If it weren't for the cuffs around her wrists, she'd have killed him by now.

"Maybe you'll get to see her at the trial." Genma said quietly. He gave her one last insincere smile before walking out.

Morino waited until the door to the meeting room had closed before ripping into him. "The hell was that?!"

"C'mon, boss," Yugao cajoled, "you saw the look on her face- Good as a confession."

" _Not even close_." Morino hissed. He shoved the folder of evidence into Genma's chest. "You get that faxed over to us and no more bright ideas about leaking classified information to anyone else, you got it, Shiranui?!"

"Yes sir."

Morino snorted and then stomped away.

Yugao gave them a sheepish smile, patting Kakashi on the arm. "Well I think it was useful." She said lamely before hurrying after her mentor.

Kakashi sighed. "Why'd you do that?" He asked.

Genma didn't really know why. He just hated how smug she was, how callous she had been with two people's lives. He wanted to bring her down a peg. "We wanted a reaction." He said instead. He didn't think Kakashi would get it.

His partner stared at him for a long time. "Well when we get desk duty, it's your fault." Was all the tall, grey haired man said in response. He didn't press, though Genma knew he wanted to.

The cell door closed behind her and Sayaka was left alone with her thoughts.

How could she be alive? The fall was enough to kill her, shatter her skull, cause internal bleeding! And even if she had survived a few minutes, the seal should have swallowed up any life left in her, accepted it as payment.

They had to be lying to her.

Sakura was dead.

Nobody survived something like that.

Nobody.

Not even stupid, perfect, infuriating Sakura Haruno.

Sayaka ripped the covers off the bed, screaming with fury. "Bitch!" She screamed.

This was why the Uchiha's hadn't answered her summonses. Sakura had survived and blocked the seal from unlocking. She _hadn't died_ like she was supposed to and now the Uchiha's were still trapped and Sayaka was stuck in this hellhole like some sort of rat.

She had ruined everything!

Sayaka dug her nails into the pillow. She felt the thin material tear and hissed. She tore at it, ripping and pulling until it came apart, spilling fluff all over the floor. "I worked too hard for this!" She yelled, throwing the split pillow on the floor.

Everything was wrong!

Sayaka spun away from the mess she had made with a cry of frustration. She had spent years in the background, disrespected, ignored and left behind and this stupid fucking pink haired slut had ruined everything!

All of her hard work, everything she had suffered had been for nothing!

Years Sayaka had been oppressed, shoved into a cookie cutter square and expected to be a sweet, kind young lady.

She was sick of stupid people and their stupid problems. It was all so inane and useless, and she was destined for greater things, for awe and reverence and _Sakura had gotten in her way_.

Sayaka's chest was heaving as she surveyed the mess she had made. The blanket was strewn on the floor, the pillow spilling its stuffing and the chair she was given dented and knocked askew. She hated it.

This wasn't what she was meant for.

Sakura was the reason why Sayaka was in this cell. It was _her_ fault Sayaka had been locked away and victimised. If she had just died, just died quietly and like she was supposed to, then none of this would have happened!

Sayaka wouldn't be in here.

She paced the room restlessly.

This had to be why the Uchiha's hadn't shown themselves to her outside of a brief visit. Sakura surviving meant the seal was still in full effect. The sacrifice hadn't been completed, not enough blood had been spilled while Sakura was down there.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

The first time she had heard about the all powerful Uchiha's, she had known that they would give her the recognition, attention and respect she deserved. She had known they were real because the manuscripts that mentioned them didn't read like stories, but rather warnings.

She'd done years, countless hours of research and searching. She'd found an artisan who still made paint the ancient way, she practiced and planed and replanned her every move. She spent nearly a year deciphering the manuscript in the old, abandoned Senju temple that detailed how the seal might be broken.

And Sakura couldn't. Just. Die.

"Dinner."

Sayaka ignored the voice of the guard. She wasn't hungry.

She needed to fix this.

"It is rather rude to ignore someone when they are speaking to you."

Sayaka spun around to tell the guard to fuck off and then froze. It wasn't the pudgy, past his prime guard that had been staring at her boobs. This man was tall and broad, with long dark hair tied in a low ponytail.

His eyes were black, completely black. They glinted in the fluorescent light of the cell. He was holding the tray of food.

He blinked, long and slow. And when he opened his eyes again, the sclera were white again, but the iris was a jewel red, black commas swirling around and around in a lazy, hypnotic spin. He set the tray down on the table bolted to the floor, not looking away from her for a moment.

Sayaka swallowed, not quite believing what she was seeing. "Who-"

"Itachi." He answered shortly. He gestured at the table, and Sayaka could see that the food there was not the normal, disgusting gruel the prison had been feeding her, but proper food. Rich mashed potatoes, a pot pie, a slice of cheesecake. Her favourites. "Will you sit with me?"

Sayaka sat. "What took you so damn long?" She demanded, ignoring the food. She was hungry, but she was also angry. She shouldn't have been in here so long and the sudden appearance of Itachi had her wary.

Why now? Why now, when she had just found out that Sakura was still-

Itachi stared at her blankly and raised an eyebrow.

"She died." Sayaka said. "She died, and that's why you came now. Because when she was alive, the seal was still active?"

Itachi didn't say anything but the slight incline of his head was enough to answer her question. Sayaka smiled broadly, spinning the knife in her hand as she reached for the plate of food.

"Where are the others?" Sayaka asked, almost giddy. She was going to be free soon, going to be out of here and back where she belonged. And with the Uchiha at her side, she would finally have the power and attention she deserved. People would _know_ her name.

"Coming." Itachi murmured. "My apologies. We were weak after the seal broke. We needed time."

Sayaka didn't care about that. They were gods. Weakness was unacceptable. "I have been in here for three days." She spat. "Do better."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Speak with respect."

Sayaka stabbed the pie. "I control you now, so I'll speak to you however I damn well please." She said primly. "I want out of here, and I don't want you to whisk me away- No, I want those damn detectives and civil servants to be humiliated when it comes out they locked me up for no due cause."

Itachi stared at her. "That will take time-"

"Didn't you hear me? I own you." Sayaka said sharply. "I want them to exonerate me. I don't want to be a pariah that escaped from prison- No, I want people to be ashamed for judging me, I want them to apologize to me."

"You want large scale manipulation." Itachi said plainly. "For that sort of magic, for the kind of exoneration and retribution you ask, it cannot be done overnight- it will take time to look real."

"I know all of you." Sayaka said abruptly, sighing at the savory taste of chicken pie. She did love it so much and resolved to eat it more often once she was free, her waistline be damned. "I know there is one among you with a talent for manipulation, bring him here."

Itachi scowled at her. "We are not puppets for you to come and your beck and call." He said, words a warning.

It didn't phase her.

Per the seal, they could not hurt her, not when she was the one who had undone their cages, freed them. No, they were bound to serve her until she released them or died, and she didn't plan on doing either of those things any time soon.

No, she planned on living a long time.

"I freed you. I spilled pure blood, which means you are." Sayaka said back sharply. She took a bite of the cheesecake, smiling at the soft texture.

Itachi snarled at her. "We are not attack dogs."

"You are whatever I want you to be." Sayaka said. "I want to be exonerated, not vilified, and I want those detectives humiliated for their witch hunt of me, do you understand?"

Itachi's face twisted in anger and then smoothed out in blankness.

The bite of pie Sayaka had just taken tasted strange and she thought she felt something moving in her mouth. She spat it out automatically, looking down at the plate.

She recoiled in horror when she saw that the pie she had been eating was filled with maggots and worms, not the succulent chicken and mushrooms like she had thought. The potato was moulded and disgusting and the cheesecake was green and stinking. The maggots writhed, a sickly puce colour and Sayaka thought she might be sick when one of them exploded in a mess of green and yellow pus.

She shoved the chair back, dropping the knife and fork-

-And hard hands slammed her arms back onto the table with a loud bang. "It is rude to leave a meal unfinished." A new voice said.

The shock and pain of it made Sayaka yelp, her wrists aching and her heart thundering away in her ears at the suddenness of it all.

Sayaka struggled, looking back and up and saw that there was another dark haired man behind her. His hair was spiky, and the right side of his face was heavily scarred, ugly and disgusting to look at. She gagged, drawing away. "Let me go!"

"No." Itachi said.

"Let me go!" Sayaka hissed, spinning around to glare at him. "I own you, I own you- You have to do as I say and I said to let. Me. Go!"

"Sit still." Itachi said, standing up and leaning over the table. His eyes spun red, then black, and then the irises bled into a strange, geometric shape, sharp and angular.

His fingers were warm, dry as he tilted her chin up. she struggled, heart beating far too quickly in her chest. The second Uchiha held her still, hands like iron bands around her wrists and big shoulders caging her in, making her feel small.

It made her angry, just how easily they were holding her still.

"Let me go. You have to do as I say!" She shrieked.

Itachi leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers.

Sayaka gasped, and then-

-she blinked.

And then frowned.

What had she been doing?

The smell of cheap, powdered mashed potatoes wafted around the room and she wrinkled her nose, looking down. Her half eaten dinner was in front of her but… Sayaka couldn't remember seeing the guard or even starting her meal.

The room was as she remembered it, pillow spilling its fluff all over the floor, the blanket askew.

Sayaka toyed with her fork.

She never daydreamed.

Hadn't she been… talking to someone?

The door clanged, and she looked up.

"Collecting that tray in fifteen, Ms. Watanabe." The guard called.

Sayaka scowled at the food in front of her and then shoved it away angrily. She wasn't eating that slop, it was beneath her.


	10. Day 11: Breathing

Hi.

I have returned from my slumber.

So I just noticed, but this story has close to 200 reviews! That's so amazing! Thank you to everyone who keeps coming back to read this rubbish, honestly. I'm so happy so many people like it!

The chapter is a bit short today, but there really wasn't much else I could put in here. I say this, but when I go back and read it I'll find some place where I've forgotten something, mark my words.

Enjoy.

* * *

Day 11: Breathing

Sakura was having a strange dream.

She was… stuck.

She was nestled in the side of a big I-Pylon, arms and legs trapped at her sides. The metal around her was freezing to the touch, scratchy and stinking of rust. But she couldn't move.

There were giant, rusty red rods rising above her. So many of them, she couldn't see the end of them. Slowly the rods began to fall, one after another, slotting into their corresponding pylons. It was neat and quiet as they fell against each other, forming a perfect wall.

Except, the one above her wasn't going to fit into its slot, because _she_ was there.

Sakura felt like she was being crushed, she felt sick and shaky.

Down and down it came, again and again and again.

But each time, it didn't fit, and the sick feeling grew worse.

 _She wasn't meant to be here._

Sakura wretched.

Why did she feel so sick?

She wanted this dream to end. She didn't like it, not in any way.

But it didn't end, and she just felt worse and worse, like she might vomit at any time as the rod kept trying to slot home. It pressed down on her, making her feel like she might pop from the pressure, and then when it didn't fit, it sprang back up and the whole awful process started again.

She didn't fit.

 _She didn't fit._

It went on for what seemed like forever. And at the same time, it felt like everything was moving too quickly around her.

Something cool brushed over her forehead, featherlight. Startled, Sakura raised her hand to reach out for whatever it was and then realised she could move-

" _-kura! Sakura, it's time to wake up now!"_

Sakura jerked. Who was that?

"It's time to wake up now!"

There was a hand on her shoulder, firm and unyielding, rocking her very gently. She was suddenly aware again, of the fact that she was waking up-when had she gone to sleep? She was lying on something soft-where was she?

"Sakura, Sakura, hey, I need you to calm down, alright?" The voice said, soothing and warm.

Sakura didn't have control of her eyelids, she couldn't see properly. Everything was blurry.

Who was this woman with the blonde hair?

"Sakura, I need you to take a few deep breaths for me." The woman said, hand still on Sakura's shoulder. "You need to calm down a little, honey."

Sakura knew she was on a bed- where was she? Who were these people?

She was scared, and something was beeping loudly near her.

"Your heart rate is really high, Sakura. I need you to take a deep breath." The blonde woman said, looking over Sakura and then returning to smile at Sakura, honey brown eyes kind. "Sakura, Sakura, do you know who I am? Do you remember me?"

Sakura groaned, horrified at the weak, breathy noise that came out of her mouth. There was something down her throat, up her nose- her ankle was burning, and her arms felt so heavy. "Ah…"

"I'm Dr. Tsunade, remember? You're my intern." The woman said.

Lady Tsunade?

Sakura remembered her. She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision. "… am I?" She whispered. Her throat was so dry, and her skin felt too tight and hot. "… Ino? Naruto!"

"They're not here." Lady Tsunade said gently. "You can see them later, okay?"

Sakura tried to swallow. She was still disoriented. "What…?"

Lady Tsunade pressed a hand into the side of Sakura's face gently. "Don't worry about that, right now, okay? You're safe, you're in the hospital." She said, giving Sakura a smile. "I need you to calm down, Sakura."

The beeping noise.

A heart monitor?

Sakura tried to take a deep breath but choked on it, gasping and tears welling her eyes. Dr. Tsunade helped her through it with a few murmured words, stroking her shoulder carefully. She struggled, knowing she needed to calm down- she was safe, it was okay.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. It hurt her throat a little bit.

"Three more." Lady Tsunade said soothingly. "With me, Sakura. You remember my lessons, yes?"

"Yeah." Sakura managed to slur. She felt floppy and she didn't know why her head felt so heavy, but she pushed it away in favour of letting Lady Tsunade coach her through her breathing.

It took a little bit and Sakura kept trying to swallow whatever was down her throat, but eventually, she managed to calm herself down. She no longer felt so afraid or disoriented.

She was in the hospital.

And Lady Tsunade was here.

Her teacher smiled at her gently. "That's my girl." She said gently. "You're okay now."

"What happened?" Sakura managed to ask. Her voice was still weak, and she was slurring, but try as she might, she couldn't really get her mouth to work properly. "Why am I here? Where's Ino and Naruto?"

Lady Tsunade huffed. "You're really worried about them, huh?" She said quietly. "I'll go and call her, but only if you calm right down for me, okay?"

Sakura tried to nod, but it made her vision spin. She was vaguely aware of Lady Tsunade patting her hair gently, talking her through the sudden sharp pain in her skull. It took some time, but it passed, and she sagged against the squashy pillow.

Her teacher's face was tight with tiredness. "Just try not to move, Sakura. Just take deep breaths. Get your bearings."

Sakura tried really hard, she really did. It felt like there as cotton wool in her brain, clogging up all her thoughts and making everything move a lot slower than it shoulder. Her arm hurt. She was hot, and sticky.

She heard a beep from behind her.

Lady Tsunade smiled. "There you go. Come down for me."

Sakura struggled with her breathing, forcibly calming herself down.

"Good girl." Lady Tsunade soothed. The hospital room was quiet for a few minutes as Sakura focused on her breathing. She could feel her heart thundering away in her chest and did her best to make it slow down. "Alright Sakura, I need to ask you a few questions before you go back to sleep-"

Sakura shook her head. She did not want to go to sleep again.

"Shh, it's okay." Lady Tsunade said, straightening and picking up a clipboard Sakura hadn't noticed before. "Sakura, can you tell me your full name?"

Sakura knew why her teacher was asking her these questions… Or… she thought she did, Sakura wasn't really sure what was going on. Her throat hurt as she answered, "Sakura Haruno."

The rest of the questions were easy, simple things. The name of the hospital, her address, where did her parents live? What about Ino and Naruto? Simple things.

Blinking slowly, trying to force herself to feel more normal, Sakura answered all the questions. She was still confused. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was…

Red sand. Falling rock. Hot pain in her forehead. A shadow.

Madara.

Madara?

Sakura didn't… wasn't she forgetting something?

"I'll go and call your friends, okay?" Lady Tsunade said gently. She tucked the clipboard under her arm. "I'm sure they'll be happy to hear you're awake. That idiot Naruto has been bothering me since you came in. Blah, blah, blah- he has no concept of volume control, I swear!"

Sakura smiled weakly. That sounded like Naruto alright.

"And don't get me started on Ino. She talks more than you do!" Lady Tsunade continued. There was a soft look in her eyes. "I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you. In the meantime I brought in your second favourite person to look after you."

Sakura was confused.

Moegi poked her head around the door, wide eyed. She beamed, eyes turning into happy little half moons at the sight of Sakura. "You're awake!" She said, quite obviously restraining herself from bouncing around like she normally did. "Oh-"

And then she was gone.

Lady Tsunade sighed. "That girl… Such a scatterbrain. You know, she's been talking my ear off about getting onto your rotation." She told Sakura, retaking her seat. "No matter the fact she's still in training, she was determined to fuss over you. Honestly."

Sakura's heart felt full and she felt tears coming up. All these people…

"Oh no, no, none of that- Oh lord-" Lady Tsunade said quickly, putting her clipboard down hurriedly. Sakura tried to stop, honestly, she did. But she couldn't, it was all so raw.

"Sakura?"

Sakura blinked and then looked past her teacher. Her mother and father were standing by the door, Moegi lingering behind them with big eyes. Her mother looked awful, blonde hair no longer pulled back in a neat bun and dark circles under her eyes. "Mama… Dad…"

Her parents hurried over to the bed. Her mother looked like she wanted to gather Sakura up, but she didn't, instead she just stroked Sakura's hair gently. "Hi there, baby." She whispered, on the verge of tears.

Her father didn't say anything, instead he just fussed with her blanket so that it was neater, chin quivering.

Sakura burst into renewed tears, overwhelmed. She had missed them so much and after having that awful dream where they weren't real, she had to make sure they were.

Her arm felt heavy, but she managed to get it out from under the covers and grab her father's hand. He looked surprised for a moment and then his face crumpled in relief as he squeezed hard. He knelt by her bed, pulling her into a soft hug.

Her mother made a noise in the back of her throat. "It's okay now." She said. "It's okay."

Sakura clung to her father.

Whatever she was forgetting wasn't important.

* * *

Day 12

Ino burst into tears while she was packing things to take to the hospital. Mrs Haruno had called the night before, telling Ino that Sakura was awake and wanted her to visit. Ino had been so goddamn excited she could barely sleep. She had been waiting for this day ever since Sakura had first been found, had wanted more than anything to grab her best friend and never let go again.

But now that Sakura was back- awake, okay… Ino wasn't sure she could face her.

This was all her fault after all.

Ino should have known that Sayaka was a psycho from the beginning. Ino was the Psychology major, she should have known! But she had been too caught up in her stupid mysteries to notice, and Sakura had gotten hurt- nearly died because of it.

Ino put down her phone shakily. Sakura probably hated her for what she had done. It was Ino who kept badgering Sakura into coming, even after Sakura had already said no over and over again.

If Ino had just left Sakura be, maybe none of this would have happened.

"Oh- Again with the tears, Ino?" Shikamaru demanded angrily.

Ino looked up, hurt.

Her ex-boyfriend and best friend slammed a box of strawberries onto the counter, eyes sharp and focused for once. "This is not your fault. It's not."

"It is!" Ino cried. "You don't understand, you weren't there-"

"She's your best friend, Ino, your _best friend_." Shikamaru snapped over her. "How long have you known her? Nearly seventeen years. She wouldn't blame you for what the fucking psycho did, not ever, Ino."

Ino looked down. "You don't know that." She whispered. What if Sakura did hate her? What if Sakura had gotten hurt permanently from what had happened and blamed Ino?

"I bloody well do." Shikamaru huffed, his anger seeming to melt away a little. "I've known Sakura just as long as you. She's probably sitting in that hospital room worrying about how much trouble she's caused everyone."

Ino smiled through her tears. That would be Sakura alright, worried about being a bother. Ever the nervous worrywart. "Yeah probably." She said, rubbing her cheeks, partly out of embarrassment, partly to get rid of the tears. She hated crying in front of Shikamaru.

"She doesn't hate you. She wants to see you." Shikamaru said, more gentle now.

Ino took a deep breath, air catching in one last sob. Shikamaru was right, like he always was.

She dried her tears with her sleeves and stood up. "You'd better not have bruised those strawberries, idiot, those are for Sakura."

Instead of looking pissed off that she'd called him an idiot, Shikamaru just smiled briefly. "We can always blame Naruto." He said with a shrug, turning around to bundle up the fruit he'd pilfered from her parent's fruit drawer.

Ino took a moment to collect herself while his back was turned. Her parents house was quiet, her mother out at the flower shop and her father off doing secret agent things. She was grateful for it. She loved her parents, but this whole time, they'd be suffocating in their worry, fussing and hovering over her.

By the time Shikamaru had finished putting the fruit into a bag, Ino had steadied herself. Sakura was her best friend, and Ino wasn't about to become scared to face her best friend. Sakura needed her now, and there was no time for Ino to be crying about stupid shit.

She smiled brightly at Shikamaru, taking the bag from him. He just sighed at her and mumbled something about women under his breath as he stole her father's keys from the drawer in the foyer.

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. They hit what seemed like every red light in the city and their trip was slowed by the many closed roads, some still flooded from the flash floods.

But soon enough, the tall, glittering buildings of the Konoha Women's hospital came into view, gleaming white in the sun. The green sign at the top comforted Ino in a strange way. Konoha Women's was one of the best hospitals in the world. Sakura would be safe here.

Shikamaru told her he was going to park the car. It was a lazy excuse for him to make her do this on her own. Ino hated him for it.

It was why they'd never work out. He knew her far too well to let her get away with anything and she pushed him too much.

Ino watched the taillights of her father's car disappear into the carpark.

Naruto was waiting for her in the lobby. He was holding a big bag and Ino could smell the homecooked meal in from a few metres away. Lady Kushina no doubt, because Naruto sure as shit couldn't cook.

"What'd you bring?" Naruto asked, words tangling together in his haste. He was nervous and jittery, biting his lip as he looked around.

Ino tilted the bag to show him. "Mrs. Haruno said she wanted fruit- I… Wasn't sure what else to…"

"Is that Ino I see?" A big, familiar voice boomed cheerily. "And Naruto too! What luck!"

Ino turned to see Kizashi Haruno, all hundred kilos of him, barrelling towards them. He was holding a paper bag in one hand, hair as messy as usual. He was out of place in the pristine hospital, what with his fluorescent yellow work shirt and raggedy shorts.

He looked like he always had, when Ino and Naruto had visited Sakura's parents farm as teenagers.

He waved at them happily, big goofy smile in place. "Oh I'm so glad you're here!" He said, sweeping them into a hug. Kizashi Haruno was a big man, bigger than even Ino's father, who was huge already. He was tall and broad, with a smile to match. "Sakura's been looking forward to seeing you two!" He told them excitedly.

Ino felt a bit sick.

How could this man not blame her?

He beamed at them. "Ah and there's Shikamaru too! Shikamaru, over here!" He called, waving furiously. "How've you been, hm? Well… Bad question I suppose with all that's going on. Ah, Shikamaru, I saw your father a few days ago- You should tell him to get more sleep, he looks awful."

Ino couldn't help the smile.

Kizashi Haruno was so weird.

Shikamaru blinked. "Uh. Yeah."

The Haruno Patriarch examined them for a few moments and then gave a small smile. "You three look like you're going to a funeral." He said, serious for once. "This is a happy time!"

Ino looked away guiltily. It was her fault Sakura was on that mountain in the first place.

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. Mr. Haruno smiled at her. "Smile please, Ino. I've already got to deal with a cranky wife, I can't be dealing with a sad you too. And you Naruto, don't look so worried. Sakura is okay- and she'll be so happy to see you all." He said earnestly.

Ino blinked away tears.

What the Hell was wrong with the Haruno family? They were all so weird and happy all the time.

Shikamaru shoved her in the back. "Move- we're blocking the way."

She glared at him.

"Oh, I got Sakura a cream bun, but it looks like you three came more prepared! Fruit and is that some of Lady Namikaze's famous pie I smell, m'boy Naruto?"

* * *

Sakura watched her mother fuss about the hospital room. Even though she hadn't done anything but get up once to go to the bathroom, Sakura was still tired. She knew, logically, that that was completely normal after all her body had been through, but it didn't stop being annoying.

She didn't like feeling so tired all the time. Especially because sleeping more didn't seem to make her feel any better. It just made her more lethargic and sticky.

"Oh look isn't that lovely, a card from the university!" Her mother cooed, holding up a colourful card for Sakura to see. "From your lecturers." She said, smiling proudly. "They hope you get better soon."

Sakura smiled. "Me too."

Her mother took a deep breath. "You will, bun." She said firmly. She gestured around the room. "You're already on the mend, right? Dr. Senju said you might be out of here by the end of the week- as long as you get that weight back up."

Sakura sighed. Her mother had been on and on about Sakura's weight ever since Lady Tsunade had mentioned she was underweight. It wasn't surprising. She'd been in a well for a week with nothing to eat of drink, of course she would be underweight. Sakura's mother on the other hand, was convinced that Sakura was a starving student and was about to waste away into nothingness.

She'd been fluffing around ever since Sakura had woken up, offering all sorts of snacks and homemade goods. Last nights dinner had been a point of contention until Sakura promptly vomited in her mother's lap. Lady Tsunade had snorted and told Sakura to take it easy – soft foods, in small amounts. No junk food and plenty of fruit juice to get her sugar up.

"Oh Sakura, do you recognise this?" Her mother called, picking something up off the bedside table.

Sakura looked up from the novel her mother had brought along.

"I noticed it the other day- One of your friends must have dropped it off for you." Mebuki said, showing Sakura the little grey rock in her hand.

Sakura's world dropped away.

Shisui's rock.

It all came flooding back. The mountain, the fall, Kagami, Obito and Rin, Shisui, Sasuke, Itachi… Madara. _Madara_.

That's what she had been forgetting in her haze just after waking up.

It had been _real_.

"Sakura, honey?"

Sakura started, shocked back to herself by her mother's voice. She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Her mother already looked worried and had set the rock down to take Sakura's face between her palms. "I'm okay, I just… Moved too quickly." She lied breathlessly.

Her mother examined her face closely, eyes red rimmed and exhausted. "Oh honey…" She murmured, stroking Sakura's cheek with her thumb. "I'm so sorry all of this happened to you."

Sakura put on a smile for her mother. She hated to see her mother so tired and worried, it was the last thing she wanted for her parents. They already had so much on their plates and now having to deal with all of this, she felt so terrible. "It's okay, mama, I'm okay."

Her mother pressed her lips together, obviously ready to disagree, but their conversation was cut short by the door swinging open and Sakura's father bounding in. He was clutching a paper bag in one hand, bearing the logo of the expensive café downstairs.

"I come bearing gifts!" He cried, holding the bags up. "And you'll never guess who I found in the lobby!"

Sakura peered around her mother curiously. "Who?"

Ino slid into the room slowly, not self-assured for once. She was clutching a green shopping bag in her arms. Her best friend wasn't dressed to the nines today, hair pulled back in a low pony tail and customary winged liner missing.

Sakura felt tears stinging her eyes.

Ino was jolted, shoved forward into the room by Naruto. He too, was holding a giant bag in his arms. He stopped, eyes big and worried. He was pale and it broke Sakura's heart to see him so dishevelled and worried. Naruto should never look like that.

Sakura burst into tears at the same time as Naruto.

Her best friend dropped his bag on the ground with a loud thump and barrelled across the room.

It hurt when he slammed into her, but Sakura honestly didn't care. She clutched him tightly, squeezing as hard as she possibly could. Her cast made things awkward, but it didn't matter. He smelled like Kushina's kitchen and he was warm and solid.

Sakura had been afraid this was another dream.

But it couldn't be, not when Naruto was squeezing her like she might vanish.

"You're going to hurt her, you idiot!" Ino insisted, voice shrill and watery.

Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder.

The woman she considered a sister was lingering by her bed, eyes wet and chin quivering. Ino looked afraid and Sakura didn't know why. But she didn't like it. Sakura put on a smile, flapping her hand at Ino.

Ino's face crumpled and she shoved Naruto out of the way to hug Sakura herself. She half climbed onto the bed, pressing so close to Sakura it made her broken ribs ache. Sakura didn't mind. Her friends were okay, and they were here.

"I'm so sorry," Ino blubbered. "I'm sorry."

Naruto hurried around the bed, shoving himself onto the other side of Sakura's bed. There honestly wasn't enough room for three people on the single, uncomfortable hospital bed, but Sakura was grateful for the closeness. It helped make it all feel more real.

Especially after the stone…

She buried her face in Ino's shoulder, pushing the glowing stone from her mind.

"I do hope I'm not expected to get up there too." Someone said dryly.

Sakura picked her head up. Shikamaru gave her a half smile, waving from his place by the end of her bed.

"No one wants you up here, anyway!" Naruto puffed angrily, burrowing closer to Sakura. "Lazy ass."

"Hey!" Ino said protectively. "Don't be rude, Naruto."

"Well it's true!"

Sakura felt a smile on her face at the familiar bickering. It made her heart swell and she was just so happy that it was all real. She'd missed them so much.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes from the end of the bed, dragging over one of the armchairs. He plopped down and began helping himself to Ino's bag of things. He dug around in it for a few moments before pulling out a box of ripe, red strawberries. He offered the box to Sakura and when she shook her head, shrugged and dug in lazily.

It was so normal. Ino and Naruto were arguing over the merits of fruit versus pie, and Shikamaru was ignoring everyone else in favour of staring blankly at the ceiling, strawberry balanced on his nose.

Sakura started to cry again. Her emotions were all over the place. Everything had happened all at once and she had been so sure she was going to die in that horrible, horrible mountain, alone and in the dark.

"Oh now you've done it." Shikamaru remarked lazily. He winked at Sakura.

"Naruto!" Ino yelled. "Look what you did!"

"Me?!" Naruto blustered. He flapped a little bit, spinning around to find her worn bunny. He shoved it into her face. "It's okay, Sakura, we'll stop arguing! Ino was wrong anyway."

"I'll kill you, Naruto."

Sakura laughed at the familiarity of it all, rubbing her face. "I'm not sad." She insisted. "I just missed you guys, is all. I'm happy." She promised, taking Bun and tucking him against her side. Having the old rabbit was a bit childish, but he smelled like home.

Naruto relaxed a little bit, looking at her worriedly. "Well, we're all here now!" He said, trying to put on a brave face. "And that crazy bitch can't get-"

"Naruto!" Ino hissed, reaching across Sakura to smack him in the arm.

Naruto went white. "Uh."

Sakura remembered, very vividly, Sayaka's gleeful expression when she shoved Sakura in the chest and threw her down the well. She could still feel Sayaka yanking on her hair, her nails scratching Sakura's arm as they fought-

"Man, Ino, you really suck at picking fruit- Look at it, it's got a giant bruise." Shikamaru said suddenly.

"Shikamaru!" Ino shrieked suddenly. She scrambled off the bed, slipping in her haste. She hurried around the bed to yank the bag away from the lazy young man. "Those are for Sakura!"

Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath. Shikamaru gave her a tight smile, understanding. She couldn't smile back, but looked down instead, grateful for his intervention. Bun was a welcome addition at her side as she tried to collect herself.

She hadn't thought about what had happened since she had woken up… Not in depth.

Remembering what Sayaka had done, seeing the rock, realising it was all real-

"You're turning into Chouji, I swear to god. Stop eating them!" Ino wailed, tugging the box of strawberries out of his hands.

"Oh- Strawberries!" Naruto cried, suddenly excited. He actually did fall off the bed in his excitement, but he bounced up just as quickly, bounding around to snag one from the container. He cooed happily as he shoved it in his mouth.

Ino hissed, curling over it protectively. "Stop it! For Sakura! Sa-ku-ra! Are either of you Sakura? No!"

"What? She can't eat all of them." Shikamaru said

"You're gonna eat all the best ones! I didn't buy them for you idiot!"

"You didn't buy them at all," Shikamaru responded, fending her off with one arm. "Sakura doesn't care- Ow!"

The loud argument and ridiculous antics of her friends helped calm her down. Ino, Naruto and Shikamaru were safe, normal. They weren't going to hurt her. She was safe now.

Sakura shook her head, grateful for the fuzziness now. It helped dull the fear that had bubbled up at the mention of Sayaka, helped her forget about that rock altogether. Bun squeaked lamely when she squeezed him.

She managed a smile when Shikamaru looked at her and then a real one when Ino and Naruto, tugging on one side of the box of strawberries each, managed to break it and spill the little red fruit all over the floor.

"Ino!"

"Naruto!"

Sakura giggled when they immediately began blaming each other. Shikamaru just sighed, bending down to retrieve a strawberry from the floor and shove it in his mouth.

* * *

Obito stared at the derelict, overgrown garden, frustrated by its dilapidated state.

It was a far cry from the memorial it was meant to be. In his absence, it had been forgotten and left to rot and it was an injustice to Rin's memory. She deserved far better than a forgotten garden, and he was angry at the other Ancients for letting it fall into ruin.

While his family may be that proverbial black cloud that lingered over reality, Rin was not, and he did not understand why the surviving ancients would allow her memory to be disrespected in this way.

The little pond he had created had run dry and the giant koi fish he had rescued from Rin's village were long dead. The pond was a recreation of the one they had played in as children and now it was gone, water run dry and Rin's companions dead.

He walked across the dry bed, frowning at the flaking soil.

The flowers he had tried to plant were long withered away, weeds taking their place. The long grass had been trampled down by roving adventurers, killing off the meadow he had created for Rin to run through.

The small island he had made in the middle of the dried pond was littered with human rubbish. Strange crackling things, emblazoned with colourful pictures. There were little brown cylinders that stunk of acrid smoke, old containers made of brown glass. There were hundreds of scraps of paper, yellowed and burnt, and that strange, synthetic material Kagami called 'plastic'.

He picked one of the bottles up.

How dare they come here, to this place where Rin's memory was meant to live on, undisturbed, and ruin things?

Humanity always ruined everything. Invading everything, pushing and breaking and taking everything they wanted until there was nothing left. They left nothing untouched, no resource untapped. Their greed knew no bounds.

He threw it aside, upset. His eyes stung with the unfairness of it all. Was there nothing they could not take from him?

He was not like Rin, who loved her plants, all living things and could create them from nothing. He didn't have her caring hands to make them flourish but _he had tried_. He had tried so hard to make something Rin might be proud of, and now it was dead and ruined.

The task at hand seemed monumental, though with his power it would be simple enough to destroy it all in a blink of an eye.

Obito stared at his hands.

Destroy.

He could raze the garden to the ground, burn away any human influence as he had done before. The thought tempted him.

But as he looked around, Rin's laughter echoing in his ears, he knew he could not.

It would be too easy. And then what memory he had of her would be gone. Rin had always tried to help him grow things, always encouraged him when his power killed things and destroyed them before they could bloom.

His tribute to her had not been perfect, but she would have loved it all the same.

No. He would not burn it to the ground. He would fix it, return it to the glory worthy of Rin.

The air shifted and Obito raised his head. He turned, staring at the trees that surrounded the garden.

"Hurry up, you big idiot!" A young woman cried. Her voice was nice to listen to, full and husky, but Obito didn't appreciate it. Instead, it grated on his nerves and he scowled, incensed.

Not even one day. He could not even get one day to begin to restore this beautiful garden before they descended upon it like vultures.

"This is fucking heavy- I'd move faster if you helped!"

"Be a gentleman, Akhito, carry it like a man." Another young woman teased, panting. "Fuck this hill is so long."

"Maybe you're just fat, Am- Oh!" A young human burst out of the tree line. She had stark red hair and bright, bright blue eyes. She was slender, pretty. She stopped at the sight of him in the garden, eyes widening.

"Who you calling fat, you big bitch?" The second human cried, hurtling out of the trees and slamming into the first, prone woman. She staggered and then caught sight of Obito. This girl was plainer, with dark hair and eyes and a taller frame. In a past life she would have been a warrior. "Oh- Did you invite one of your basketball buddies, Akhito?" She turned, calling to the forest behind her.

Obito examined them.

The first woman smiled at him. "Hi there!"

"No? Why?" The third human emerged from the trees, clutching a large blue and white box. He blinked at the sight of Obito and then smiled. "Oh, hey man. You must be Hideo, right? Gaku's friend?"

"Oh! Gaku's friend." The second woman said, clicking her fingers together. "Geez, how'd we miss your car down in the car park?" She asked, grinning to herself.

"Right." Obito said shortly.

The first woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling widely at Obito. She waved at him. "Don't worry, we're not gonna bite. Gaku'll be here as soon as he gets the drinks from the store. Well… Knowing Gaku he'll get lost again." She said with a laugh.

"He's so useless- Why'd we put him in charge of the spirits?"

"Because he's the only one with the discount, Ami?"

"Oh yeah." The tall woman made a face and then laughed. She pushed her way forward, holding out a hand to Obito.

He remembered that. A greeting.

"Ami. It's nice to meet you- Gaku talks about you all the time. Dude never shuts up, I honestly don't know how you deal living with him." She said quickly, words blurring together. "That's Momo and Akhito, my roommates."

Obito took her hand gingerly. He eyed the other two over her shoulder. The young man had lit a tiny pipe, with a brown bottom not unlike the ones littering Rin's island behind him. The red haired girl was digging around in the box, and he caught a glimpse of more brown containers.

He saw red.

"Ow- Hey…" Ami said, yanking on her hand suddenly. "Hey, let got, you're hurting me!"

"Hey man, let her go!" The young man said sharply, striding forward in a way he no doubt thought was intimidating.

Obito tightened his grip, yanking the young woman to him. "Did you do this?!" He demanded. "Did you desecrate this monument?!" He roared. He was so, so angry. This place, this special, beautiful place had been reduced to a… to a place for stupid, reckless and disrespectful human children to party and destroy.

She struggled, eyes wide.

"Let her go!" The other young woman screamed.

"Get off her!"

Obito flicked his hand out and the young man made a strangled noise when dark energy sprang from the ground. It swirled for a moment before forming jagged spears that slammed home through his chest and torso. The young man looked shocked for a moment, gurgling and clawing at his shirt. His eyes darted around, mouth opening only to spill scarlet blood down his front.

The two women screamed. The one in his hold writhed, panicked and terrified.

"Akhito!" The red head cried, hands jumping to her face. "Oh my god!"

The young man gurgled, head falling back to stare sightlessly at the sky.

"This was a special place and you have ruined it!" Obito yelled at them. The woman in his hold choked, kicking when he wrapped a hand around her throat. "Look, look at what you have done!" He commanded, shaking her violently.

She spluttered, face going red.

A slim hand wrapped around his bicep, tugging valiantly. "Let her go! Please, please, we'll go!" The third human cried, eyes huge and frightened. But there was a defiance to her face too and it made other sets of eyes echo in his mind.

Brown. Green

It made him hiss with frustration.

" _They are still young, Obito, give them time."_

" _You can't hurt anybody!"_

He did not care. Rin was gone, and Sakura was not here to judge him. These monsters had desecrated his last physical reminder of Rin and he was not going to let them walk away without repayment.

He shook the red headed girl away.

"Run, Momo! Get to the-"

Obito snapped the brown haired woman's neck with a deft twist of his hand.

The red head woman scrambled away from him, sobbing. Her terror made her unpredictable and quick, but Obito was used to the hunt.

She fell only a moment after her friends, eyes wide and mouth open in a scream of a pain as her skin blistered and burnt from the inside out. It turned black and red, cracking and curling.

Obito returned to the clearing. It stank of blood and terror. The box had been knocked over in the human's haste to fend him off and there was the smell of acrid smoke in the air.

He looked down and saw the little pipe the human had been smoking. Snarling, he crushed it with his foot. when he looked around Rin's garden, he saw nothing but human taint. The pond was gone, Rin's koi dead and his flowers destroyed. The soil was packed hard, the rocks he had collected stolen or worn away from time.

The blood from the young man soaked into the ground and he felt ashamed for having spilled blood in Rin's garden. He should have killed the humans elsewhere, so their bodies and blood couldn't mar the beauty of the garden even more.

He turned away, snarling.

There was nothing for him here.

* * *

Sakura rolled over gingerly, head and side throbbing. She wanted to ask for more painkillers, but she was already at the maximum dosage and Lady Tsunade had refused to let her have more.

" _You may be my intern, Sakura, but I'm not breaking the rules for you. I'm sorry."_

Sakura sighed, rubbing her cheek mullishly. Her earlier good mood at seeing her parents and friends had worn off with the painkillers. Now she was aching and throbbing and sore all over and it honestly made her want to cry. She just wanted to go to sleep but she couldn't because it hurt to do anything, even lie down.

She kicked the blanket, whining and biting Bun's ear angrily.

The sudden movement made her taped up ribs protest and the sting of pain made her breathless for a few moments.

She groaned, flopping against the pillow she had pressed against her side. It was soft and cushioned her, but she was still so sore.

Her head pulsed hotly, and she closed her eyes, willing it away. She was so tired, and she couldn't sleep because it hurt too much.

Her mother had left the window open to let in the cool breeze, knowing Sakura liked the air to move at night time. Sakura stared out the window, wishing that Ino or Naruto or her parents were allowed to stay with her overnight. At least then she could have company. Ino would watch movies with her until she felt asleep, Naruto might tell her some stupid story.

Sakura clutched Bun when her head pulsed angrily.

She knew she needed to sleep soon. She was malnourished and dehydrated. Her body was under immense pressure and her inability to sleep wouldn't help things at all.

The breeze brushed across her hot skin and she sighed. If she could just focus on something else…

The cool wind almost felt like gentle fingers touching her forehead as she closed her eyes. It whispered a lullaby through the leaves of the tree outside, singing her to sleep.

She imagined her mother touching her hair gently.

It helped some and sleep pulled at her eyelids, making her mind blurry.

Sakura slept soundly for the first time since she had been rescued.

Elsewhere in the hospital, an old man closed his eyes for the final time.

* * *

Obito baaaad. Stahp.

Sakura's dream is a reoccurring one of mine. I didn't describe it very well, but I've had that dream since I was a little girl. Haven't had it in a while though. Also, I have another reoccurring dream about a giant lobster chasing me through fairy floss (candy floss for Americans). Sometimes there are crocodiles, and sometimes there are teacups. Coin toss on which.

Please let me know what you think and sincerest apologies for the delay!


	11. Day 12: Patience

There is a lot in this chapter. I needed time to pass, but I didn't want to drag it out over multiple chapters. Tbqh, you could probably skip this chapter since barely anything happens, but I felt like there needed to be something between the last chapter and the culmination of Sayaka's story. So. Do with that what you will.

Fear not, the Uchiha's come back and we get into some UchiSaku stuff after this.

Enjoy fam.

* * *

Ghost Stories

Day 12: Patience

Detective Hatake was a bit intimidating with his silvery white hair and piercing dark eyes. He was very tall, and Sakura got the impression that he didn't have much time for nonsense.

His partner was much less scary. Detective Shiranui, or Genma as he'd encouraged Sakura to call him, had kind eyes and a nice smile. He was just as big as his partner, but there was a carefulness to his movements.

"We just went downstairs to…" Sakura took a deep breath. Her mother squeezed her hand reassuringly, giving her a small nod. "I- Sayaka and I didn't want to go upstairs with the others. I don't really believe in all that stuff-"

Well.

She didn't think she did.

"Sayaka didn't seem off at all?"

Sakura hated this whole thing. She wished, with all heart, that things had gone differently. That Sayaka had really been the sweet, funny girl Sakura thought she was. Because Sakura had really thought she'd made a new friend and it stung more than she thought to know Sayaka had only been using her.

"Sakura?" Genma asked. He gave her a smile. "Would you like to do this later? You don't need to talk to us right now. We can wait until you feel more up to it, if you want."

Sakura took a deep breath. She wanted to do this because she kind of hated Sayaka for hurting her feelings like that. More than that, she hated Sayaka for dragging Ino and Naruto into it as well. "It's okay."

"When you're ready." Detective Hatake said. He was looking at her rock. Sakura fought the urge to rip it away from him and throw it out the window.

"She was interested in the history of the compound, like me." Sakura said. She strained her memory, trying to remember what Sayaka had been talking about. "Uh, we found this weird room, it had all these old weapons in it- I thought it was cool, but she wandered off."

"Where did she go?"

Sakura knew they knew where Sayaka had gone. She'd lured Sakura into the room with the well, but she supposed they needed her to confirm it. "She went into the room next door. There was all this weird writing on the wall, I thought it was graffiti."

"Do you remember what it looked like?"

Sakura didn't really. Everything was kind of fuzzy. "It was white? And I don't think it was Japanese- I couldn't read it."

Genma hummed, writing something down, notebook balanced on his knee. "And then what?"

"I was looking at…" Sakura paused, looking away from the detective as she tried to remember. What had she been looking at? "I was looking at… It was…" She felt tears begin to rise up when she realised she didn't remember.

Her mother put her arm around Sakura's shoulder. "Do you want to stop?" She asked, and Sakura knew if she said yes, her mother would tell the detectives to leave in a heartbeat. But she didn't want to stop now, doing it later would only delay everything.

Sakura brushed her tears away angrily. "No." She said, taking a steadying breath. "I was looking at something and she called me over, there was a well."

Detective Hatake was looking at her. Despite how intimidating he was, she was almost comforted by his steady gaze.

This part Sakura remembered like it was burned into her memory. "She was looking at the well. She asked me if I thought the Uchiha had ever sacrificed anyone." She made a face. "I remember thinking that it was such an awful thing to say."

Genma looked at her sharply.

Sakura continued on, forcing herself to be brave. "She was looking at something in the well, I don't remember what. I told her to be careful- I don't think she was really listening to me. I told her we should go and find the others. Before we went, she asked me to take a photo of the well, she wanted to show Naruto." She remembered Sayaka shoving her, the pain in her chest when she hit the small raised wall surrounding the well. "And then…"

"Then she pushed you." Detective Hatake said. There was understanding in his eyes. "You don't need to tell us, Sakura, it's okay."

Sakura rubbed her eyes furiously. She hated crying. Always crying, such a goddamn crybaby!

"Is there anything else you remember? Did she say anything else that was strange to you…? Maybe she was acting a bit off?"

"She was smiling." Sakura said thickly. "I saw, when I fell."

Genma leaned back in his chair. His smile had faded into a grim look of resignation. "Okay." He said gently. "I think that's enough."

Her mother rubbed her shoulder gently, pulling Sakura into a tight hug.

Sakura leaned into it. She missed her father. He'd always have some stupid joke to crack here.

"Was that all you needed?" Mebuki Haruno asked sternly. Sakura usually hated it when her mother got all protective, but she didn't mind. She'd been in that big, stupid mountain all alone, terrified out of her mind. She was content to let someone else to the heavy lifting for now.

"Yes." She heard Genma say gently. "We'll need Sakura to come down and make a formal statement, but that can wait until she's better."

"And…?"

Sakura was tired again. And she hated it. She'd been exhausted ever since she woke up. She knew why of course, her body had been through an ordeal and she was malnourished and dehydrated, but it didn't stop her feeling restless. Sleeping all the time was exhausting in its own, strange way. She never woke up feeling refreshed and she was always uncomfortable.

"She's not in any danger. We have a deputy posted in the hospital. And… Ms. Watanabe won't be anywhere near Sakura again." Detective Hatake said firmly. He sounded very cold and clipped.

Sakura shivered.

Her mother sighed. "Thank you, detectives. I can walk you out-"

"Please." Genma responded. "It's fine. Get well soon, Sakura."

Sakura smiled tiredly at the two detectives. The silver haired detective gave her a half smile and then dragged his partner out the door. As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, her mother sagged heavily in her chair.

"Oh, Sakura, I'm sorry you had to do that, honey." She cooed, smoothing Sakura's hair back from her forehead. "Do you want anything? I can call Naruto or Ino if you like."

Sakura kind of just wanted to go to sleep again. She didn't want to sit in her hospital bed and go over and over what had happened. Honestly, she just wished the day was over and she was out of here. "No, I'm okay. I'm just tired."

Her mother looked unconvinced. "Alright, honey. You just sleep, hm? I'll order your dinner for you when the nurse comes around- what do you feel like?"

Sakura let her mother tuck her in. To be frank, it was too warm to have so many blankets, but it seemed to comfort her mother a little bit. Sakura would just kick them off later. "I don't want hospital food." She whined, knowing it was unfair to do that to her mother when she was already under so much stress.

"Sakura, you have to eat it. It's good for you- It'll help you get better."

There must have been a look on her face because her mother sighed heavily. "You're terrible." She murmured, pressing a kiss to Sakura's forehead. "I'll speak to Doctor Senju, and see what she says, okay?"

"Okay."

Her mother straightened. "I'm going to call your father to come and see you while I pop back to Koha's place for a shower and a change of clothes."

Sakura waved a hand. "Don't worry about me." She said. "I'll live for a few hours without you guys."

Mebuki smiled at her. "Always worrying about other people, aren't you?" She hummed.

Sakura paused, her mother's words fully sinking in. "Who is Koha?" She asked. She had heard her father mention the name yesterday, but she hadn't even thought to ask, too busy catching up with Naruto and Ino. Honestly, she had thought it was the name of the motel they were staying in.

Her mother looked surprised. "Oh, Koha! Didn't we tell you?" When Sakura shook her head she huffed. "One of Konoha's Councilwomen came down to see you when the police first found you. She was worried about you and wanted to make sure everything was being done to take care of you."

Confused, Sakura wondered why a councilwoman would even know who she was.

"She's such a sweet woman, Sakura. I think you'll like her." Her mother said gently. "She offered up her home to your father and I- we were so worried that we didn't even think about where to stay."

"Oh mama, I'm sorry…" Sakura said. Neither her mother or her father had mentioned anything about the investigation into her disappearance, or how worried they must have been. But Sakura wasn't stupid, she knew they must have been terrified and she felt awful for having put them through it.

To drop everything and come to Konoha, leaving the farm, it was incredibly unfair. Her parents farm was small, but they couldn't really afford to take too many days off.

"Now don't you get all stroppy on me." Her mother said sternly, green eyes steely. "You're our daughter, Sakura, of course we would come."

"I didn't mean to be such a bother!" Sakura said, trying not to cry again. "I know you can't take the time off and the flowers-"

"Sakura Haruno!" Her mother snapped, raising her voice ever so slightly. "Stop it right now. Your life is much more important than the flowers- we can always regrow them and I'm sure our customers will understand when we explain what happened."

Still… It was wrong that they were going to all this trouble for her. Naruto, Ino, Moegi, her parents, this stranger she had never met. Sakura hated feeling like she was making everyone work around her.

"Honey, that's what parents do." Her mother said, drying her tears. "Now, stop crying, you know it gives you a headache."

Sakura sniffed.

"How about we watch some of that show you like while we wait for your father to get here, hm? He'll be late, of course." Her mother suggested. "What the one you like? The one with the dragons."

"Game of Thrones."

"Such a violent show, I don't know why you watch it." Her mother said disapprovingly, retrieving Sakura's laptop that Ino had brought along the other day. She set it up on the eating tray for them to watch.

Sakura lay on her side, not really watching the show at all. Her mother hummed the opening song, holding Sakura's hand tightly.

A cool breeze blew gently through the window, brushing over her forehead and Sakura was out like a light.

* * *

Sakura woke up with the worst headache.

"Ugh…" She lifted her head off her arm, mouth dry. She felt awful to be honest. It was far too hot, and she was groggy in the way only an afternoon nap could make her. It felt like she had cotton wool stuck in her head.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Sakura blinked a few times at the unfamiliar voice, trying to get her bearings. Gingerly, she rolled over. Her ribs twinged angrily, aching and throbbing in tandem with her head.

There was a stately woman in her mother's chair. She was dressed impeccably in a grey pantsuit, reminding Sakura of the lawyer dramas Naruto secretly liked to watch. Her hair was dark, peppered with grey and she had brown eyes, lips painted plum. "Here, I got you some water because I thought you might need it." The woman said, leaning forward to hold out the glass she was holding.

Sakura stared but accepted the glass of water the woman handed to her. She took a sip, coughing a little as it tickled her nose, like it always did when she woke up from a deep sleep. "Sorry… I don't…"

"Oh yes, you were asleep when your father and I got here, and I thought it best to let you sleep." The woman said kindly, helping Sakura sit up. "I'm Koha Utane. Your mother said she mentioned me?"

The councilwoman. Sakura winced, ribs aching something fierce and her thickly bandaged head pounding away angrily. "Uh… Yeah- She said you were letting them stay with her."

Koha smiled sadly, patting Sakura's arm softly. "Yes, well it was the least I could do after all you'd been through, my girl." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Your parents went to get changed and have a bit of a rest- they didn't want you to be alone, so I offered to stay."

Sakura was strangely touched. She'd never met this woman before, but here she was offering to sit by her bedside. "Oh… you didn't have to do that." She said weakly, struggling to sit up.

"No one has to do anything." Koha said with a secretive smile. For some reason the smile didn't sit quite right with Sakura. "I wanted to. I saw the case and it horrified me. I wanted to be sure your parents didn't have added weight on their shoulders."

"Yeah… they work too hard."

Koha hummed, settling her hands in her lap. She was sitting up perfectly straight, posture perfect and Sakura felt like a slob for sagging against her pillows in old duck pyjamas, hair greasy and no doubt smelling from her lack of shower today. "A trait they passed on to you, apparently. Neurosurgery, my girl? You must be run off your feet."

Sakura blushed. "Oh well… It's not that hard."

"Hm." Koha smiled, the same secretive one as before. "If you say so."

Sakura's stomach growled, and she gasped, embarrassed.

Koha laughed. "Yes, your mother did say you'd not eaten today. Something about not liking bananas." She stood up, gliding over to the table under the T.V., mounted against the wall. Sakura could see an expensive handbag there. "She said you didn't want the hospital food."

Sakura went red. She didn't want to appear ungrateful in front of a woman who had given up her home to Sakura's family and even sat by Sakura's bedside for a few hours. "Oh, no, it's fine-"

"Nonsense. Lady Tsunade has already signed off on it." Koha said, retrieving a notepad and pen. "We do have a list of things you can't handle right now, spicy foods, anything that requires a lot of chewing, anything with lots of different flavours, nothing too hot or cold. Lady Tsunade did recommend tomato soup or perhaps some eggs."

Neither of those sounded particularly appetising to Sakura right now. Honestly, she was craving something fattening and delicious. She hadn't eaten solid food in nearly two weeks, the strawberry she had nibbled on the day before notwithstanding. She hadn't been able to eat Lady Kushina's pie and she was still disappointed about that. "Uh well… That sounds great."

"It sounds repulsive." Koha said briskly. "How about some Ramen hm? You will have to get the mild soup, but I'm sure that fits on Lady Tsunade's guidelines."

Sakura bit her lip. "Oh well, whatever is easiest, I don't want you to go out of your way." She mumbled.

"Not at all." Koha said, waving her hand. "I'll have Neji drop by and pick some up on his way to get your parents. We can eat together."

Neji?

Her confusion must have shown on her face because Koha smiled. "My security detail- The city insists on them for all of us. Waste of money, in my opinion." She sighed. "But then, that's not the matter at hand. Would you like ramen or something else?"

" _Do not trust her_."

Sakura jerked at the low whisper, neck tingling from the warm breath that had brushed over her ear.

" _ **Parasite**_."

Koha tilted her head, waiting for Sakura to answer.

Sakura's heart thundered in her ears.

" _Sakura, listen to me_ -"

"Ramen." Sakura said quickly, cutting off the voice before it could talk to her again. She knew who it was. But she didn't want to believe it, instead telling herself firmly it was just her mind playing tricks on her- she had a head injury after all! "Ramen is fine."

Koha hummed an agreement and with one last squeeze of Sakura's hand, rose to go and relay the order to her security detail. Sakura stared after her, wondering who Koha Utane was and why she was so interested in her.

A part of her wanted to believe that Koha was just a kind woman, sympathetic to Sakura's plight. But another, more cynical part of her wondered about why. Why Sakura, and why this case? In a mammoth city like Konoha, people went missing every day, so why had Sakura's case been different?

She laced her fingers together, squeezing tightly to try and ground herself.

"She's just a nice old lady." Sakura whispered fiercely. "A nice old lady, Sakura, you're over thinking things."

* * *

Day 16

Sakura sighed, feeling pathetic as her father wheeled her through the lobby of the hospital. She hated the way being in a wheelchair made people jump out of the way and stare with sympathy. She clutched the blue bear Ino had brought her, scowling.

But if she wanted to leave the hospital, she had to do it in a wheelchair apparently. She was still weak and skinny from her week in the well, and because of that, she was still sleeping the majority of the time.

"I was thinking we could have Ino and Naruto over for dinner- I asked Koha and she said it would be fine since she's working late." Her mother babbled happily, carrying Sakura's things.

"I want Indian food."

"Yeah and I want a pony." Lady Tsunade said briskly, accompanying them to the car. She smiled at Sakura. "No spicy food for you, Sakura. Your stomach is still sensitive-"

Sakura pouted.

"And no over-drinking again. Small sips." Lady Tsunade said as Sakura's mother hurried over to a familiar green SUV. It looked very out of place in shiny Konoha, what with the dirt kicked up on the back window and the streaks of mud along the side and on the wheel wells. "I shouldn't have to explain to you because you're a medical student… But then, you are my student, hm?"

Sakura tried for a winning smile.

"No curry." Lady Tsunade said breezily. She helped Sakura out of her chair. "I'll see you in a few days for a check-up. So take it easy, okay?"

Sakura didn't feel particularly weak as she got into the backseat of her parent's car, but even she knew that she was in no condition to be wandering around. Not with three broken ribs, a cut head, and having lost as much weight as she had. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."

"That's the spirit! And when you come in, I'll show you that research I've been doing."

That made Sakura perk up excitedly. Her mentor had been working on STEM cell research, related to helping cancer patients and amputees. "Really?"

"Oh you've let the cat out of the bag now." Sakura's father said, dumping a blanket on Sakura's head. "That'll be all she talks about now."

Lady Tsunade laughed. "Alright, I'll let you go. Remember my list!"

The car doors slammed as her parents got in. Her mother was flushed from the heat.

She sighed heavily before leaning around to smile at Sakura cheerily. "Are you up to stopping at the store or do you want to go straight back to Koha's?"

Sakura buckled herself in, pushing the blanket away. "I don't mind as long as you're not getting a lot- it's way too hot to sit in the car." She said, fiddling with the air conditioning vents.

"Ah, I actually think its hotter in Konoha than back home." Sakura's father commented, pulling out of the entryway slowly. "It must be all the buildings, blocking in all the heat."

Sakura made a face, remembering the sticky heat of her walks to work in the morning. "Yeah, it gets pretty bad."

"What do you want for dinner, Sakura? And did you want to invite Ino and Naruto?" Sakura's mother asked, searching for something, a piece of paper probably, in her giant handbag.

That honestly sounded nice. Sakura kind of wanted to just have a quiet dinner with her friends and parents-

 _Shoving herself up, Sakura launched at herself at her mother for a hug._

 _This was real._

 _It had to be!_

 _But instead of colliding with her mother, Sakura slipped through her completely._

"Sakura! Hello, don't zone out on us yet! We're not nearly that boring!" Sakura's father called. His blue eyes twinkled in the rear vision mirror as he looked at her. "You okay, bun?"

Sakura's mother whipped around, eyes narrow. "Do we need to go back to the hospital?"

"Wh- No!" Sakura cried, the phantom sensation slipping away from her. She pouted, furrowing her brows. "I'm not going back to the hospital."

"Well then what do you want for dinner? Quick, quick, the light is turning green!"

Sakura's laptop blared the sounds of an epic gun battle, but Sakura's wasn't paying attention. She was busy playing with her father's phone. She had yet to get a replacement, so she was using his as a stand in until she could scrounge together some money for a second hand on.

' _Mum wants to know if you want a flower basket.'_

' _It's too late, she already made it'_

Ino sent through a picture of a giant bouquet, red, yellow, and orange. It was completely over the top and unnecessary and completely in character for the entire Yamanaka family, who never did anything by halves.

' _it weighs like a tonne'_

' _tell her thank you for me._ ' Sakura sent back. ' _its so pretty'_

' _it's a behemoth'_ , Ino quipped back barely a second later. _'She wants to know if you guys need meals?'_

Sakura thought back to the giant portions her mother had made of the burritos they had had that night. Naruto had eaten five and then whined to everyone about feeling sick. He and Ino were still bickering about it when they'd left to go home. _'no I think we're okay'_

' _i have to go, dad's broken the tv again'_ Ino whinged.

Sakura said her goodbyes, feeling a little bit lonely as she closed the chat. She had seen Ino and Naruto nearly every day since she had woken up, and they had spent hours with her, telling her all about the news coverage of the accident, about the insane rumours going around school.

But in her quiet room in Koha's house, Sakura felt alone.

It wasn't late, only nine-thirty, but Sakura's parents were already asleep in the room over, habit from their early mornings on the farm.

Sakura sighed, turning back to her movie. She'd seen it a hundred times over, but she still enjoyed it. It was mindless action, but Sakura wasn't really feeling up to anything deep or heavy right now.

Her ribs throbbed, but not nearly as painfully as they had been before. She had taken painkillers with her dinner and she knew she would have to go to sleep soon or else she risked them wearing off and spending the night tossing and turning in pain.

The bedroom Koha had set aside for her was large and tastefully decorated. The bed was a queen, far more comfortable than Sakura's own cheap mattress, and there was a desk in the corner and a large, mirrored wardrobe.

There was even a big bay window for Sakura to sit in if she got sick of being in bed, the windows overlooking Konoha spread out below them.

It was very quiet, and Sakura almost missed the blaring of her next door neighbours T.V.

" _And… there goes our big gun. Fantastico."_ Her laptop said, flashing green and blue light over the room.

Sakura shifted the laptop off her lap, wiggling over to the side of the bed to grab one of the chips Naruto had smuggled in under his jacket. She wasn't supposed to be eating them, they weren't exactly soft, mild foods, but she was craving something salty and unhealthy.

A knock at the door had her scrambling to hide them. She shoved them under her pillow frantically as the door creaked open.

Koha poked her head around the door. She smiled when she saw that Sakura was still up. "Ah, I just wanted to see how you were settling in. Is everything in here okay?"

Sakura nodded, swallowing the half chewed chip. "Oh yes, yes, it's wonderful! The view from here is amazing."

"It is, isn't it? You can see everything from here." Koha said. She opened the door wider. "May I come in?"

Realising how rude she had been, Sakura went pink. "Oh yes, I'm sorry, I was just a bit distracted by um…"

"It's quite alright. I can't imagine any of this is easy for you." Koha said gently. She sat down on the edge of Sakura's bed, much like Sakura's father did when Sakura was sick as a little girl. She was still dressed in her elegant tan pantsuit. She was holding a small bag. "I brought you something as a gift."

Sakura's lips parted in surprise. "Oh, you didn't have to-"

"I don't do anything I don't want to." Koha said firmly. She pinned a stern gaze on Sakura, secretive smile on her face. "And neither should you, my girl."

Sakura blinked.

"Here." Koha said, setting the bag in Sakura's lap. "It was in storage, but what good is it stored away, hm?"

The bag crinkled quietly as Sakura pulled out an old woven blanket. It was colourful and bright, knitted carefully, and edged with white silk. "Oh- This is…"

"I know it's hot, but I wanted you to have something… that wasn't new." Koha said, folding up the bag briskly. "I know it can be jarring to be in a strangers home, and I thought this might help you feel more at ease."

Sakura bit her lip, very touched. She smiled at Koha, pulling the blanket closer to her. It was a very thoughtful gift. "Thank you."

Koha patted her hand, rising. "It's quite alright, my girl. Now, I'll let you sleep, you do need you rest after all." She walked away, high heels clicking on the stained wooden floors. She paused by the door, glancing at Sakura. "Oh and you might want to finish those chips before morning. I know your mother would disapprove."

Sakura gaped and grabbed the pillow. "I-"

Koha gave her one last smile and closed the door.

* * *

Day 18

Sakura hummed as she read the book she had borrowed from Koha's bookshelf. It was lovely and cool as she lay on one of the lawn loungers under the canopy of one of the large trees in Koha's backyard.

She had spent yesterday doing the same thing, enjoying the sun and being outside for once. Her check-up with Lady Tsunade had gone well too, with her mentor signing off on Sakura being allowed to eat spicy food again and removing Sakura's bandages from her head.

"Sakura! Ino's here! She brought…" Sakura's father was shouldered out the way by an excited Ino. "The whole house apparently."

"I brought a picnic!" Ino cried.

Sakura froze.

" _The picnic!" Ino exclaimed excitedly, gesturing at the obnoxious orange car parked in the driveway._

"Look, my mum made Eton mess." Ino said excitedly, nearly tripping over herself as she dumped all of her things on the glass table behind Sakura. She stared at Sakura, tilting her head. "Hey! Your bandages are gone!"

Sakura touched her hair gently. She didn't know if she liked it yet. It was much, much shorter than anything she had had before, short in the back where the doctors had to cut it away to get to her cut. They had mostly left her bangs alone, though Lady Tsunade had trimmed it to somewhat match.

Sakura felt a bit naked without her long hair.

It just seemed to add insult to injury. Sakura had taken such good care of her long hair, buying it the best oils and shampoos, brushing it with a good brush, not putting it up too much. And then it was just gone…

"It's a bit of a mess, isn't it?" Ino said gently, touching it carefully. "I can help you fix it if you want? Mum taught me some of her tricks."

Sakura looked up. "It doesn't look bad?"

"No of course not- Okay, well it looks bad now." Ino said truthfully, running her fingers through Sakura's hair. She smiled. "But nothing that can't be fixed, and you'll be rocking that pixie cut in no time! I've always said you had the cheekbones for it-"

"Wow, Sakura, your hair!" Naruto cried.

Sakura almost wanted to hide when her other best friend hurried down the steps and across the lawn. He was carrying a tray of drinks, the glasses wet with condensation.

"It looks so pretty like that!" He said, beaming as he set the tray down.

"That's what I said!" Ino said, pulling her hands through Sakura's hair. "How about we have lunch first and then we can see about styling that hair of yours."

Sakura had to blink away tears. Everyone had been so nice to her the past few days and she felt almost guilty, because in the very back of her mind she knew that… she hadn't really gone through what they thought she had. She hadn't woken up in the bottom of the well in pain and scared at all.

Thankfully, neither Naruto nor Ino mentioned her wet eyes.

"Ms. Utane made us some drinks." Naruto explained a little unnecessarily. He offered one to Sakura, a tall glass filled with orange juice. "For our picnic."

"That's so nice of her." Ino said, taking a sit of Sakura's drink and then making a face. "Ugh, pulp."

"Pulp is good for you." Sakura said, taking a sip. The orange juice was wonderfully sweet, with just the right hint of tartness. It was obviously the expensive, artisan brand, something that Sakura only bought when it was on special or she and Ino were splitting the cost. "What did you guys bring for our picnic?"

"Oh, you're gonna love it." Ino exclaimed, bouncing over to the table to start unloading the food.

Naruto took her spot next to Sakura, bumping his shoulder against hers with a smile. He touched her hair gently. "You haven't had short hair since we were kids." He said quietly.

"Potato salad, chicken salad sandwiches, ham sandwiches-" Ino babbled in the background, waving each container around as she pulled it out. "I wanted to make bento boxes, but I wasn't sure if they'd get soggy on the drive over-"

"You don't think it makes me look like a boy?" Sakura asked worriedly.

Naruto scoffed. "Of course not!" He insisted.

They listened to Ino clatter around for a moment, still talking to herself about the food.

Naruto touched Sakura's cast briefly, eyes flicking over her bare arms. Sakura had gotten used to the patterning of red and blue bruises on her body, from her numerous falls and scrapes down in the mountain. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Sakura poked one of them experimentally, watching it change colour. The pain helped remind her it was real. "Not your fault."

He smiled sadly. "You're… You're getting now, right?"

Sakura poked him in the cheek. "Of course I am. I'm gonna be just fine."

He squeezed her hand.

"Eton mess!" Ino sang. "Look, mum even put raspberries in it!" She said, excitedly, showing the two of them the pretty desert. Sakura wondered if she had done it on purpose because Naruto turned away to compose himself.

"How much food did you bring?" Sakura wondered, peering at the full table. "There are only the five of us, Ino."

Ino put her hands on her hips. "Well…" She pouted. "I got a bit carried away."

"Not that I'm complaining!" Naruto cried excitedly, jumping up. he rubbed his hands together. "I'm so hungry, I even skipped second breakfast to make room for this!"

Sakura snorted. "Oh what a sacrifice."

"I know, right?" Naruto said, completely serious as he unfolded the blanket excitedly. It was an old worn one Sakura remembered from their picnic adventures as children. He bustled around, unpacking plates and plastic forks, handing Sakura three in his excitement.

Sakura's parents came out of the house, Sakura's father carrying a big bowl of fruit salad and her mother, a big jug of water.

It was so aggressively normal that it made Sakura forget all about the rock on her bedside table upstairs, about her hair and the pain she was in. Listening to her mother scold her father about his lack of greens and watching Naruto pile his plate far too high, it made Sakura smile.

"You sure you're okay with me trimming this?" Ino asked, kneeling behind Sakura on the blanket. Sakura's parents had gone back inside after lunch, claiming it was far too hot to be sitting outside.

Sakura touched the ragged strands. Her mother had offered to find a salon that took walk ins, but Sakura didn't really want anyone to see her, all battered and bruised and pathetic looking. "If you screw it up, you're paying for it, pig."

"Bald it is." Ino said briskly, voice full of laughter.

Naruto flopped onto his stomach, watching them from his place on the other side of the blanket. He smiled at Sakura, big and happy. "Don't worry, Sakura, if Ino does make you bald, I'll still hang out with you."

Sakura pressed her lips together, unimpressed as she felt the gentle pulling that told her Ino had begun to cut. "Gee, thanks Naruto."

"No problem!" Naruto said, flipping her a cheery thumbs up and a wink. "Ugh, you know what doesn't suck about this heat? The fact that we're not stuck in Dr. Lustig's tiny ass lecture rooms. God, I swear, we pay KU so much in tuition and they can't even install decent air-con units."

Sakura frowned, a little confused. "What do you mean? You had class yesterday." She said, wondering if her days had gotten away from her again. She was sure Naruto had one of Dr. Lustig's classes on Tuesday, she remembered him whinging about how the old man droned and sniffed all the time.

Naruto looked up from where he had been picking at a sandwich. "Oh- You didn't…"

Ino pushed Sakura's head forward. "Stop moving or I'll actually have to make you bald." She warned, still snipping and cutting away at the back of Sakura's hair.

"Didn't what?" Sakura said.

Ino's scissors stopped. "They cancelled classes for the rest of semester, exams too." She said, voice strangely clipped and short, as if she didn't like the subject. Sakura didn't understand why, Ino loathed going to class at the beginning of summer, because it 'cut into her beach and boy' time.

Sakura stared at Naruto for a moment.

He gave her a tight smile.

"Oh." Sakura said, staring at her hands. Because of her, and the whole… incident.

"The Dean… With all the stress, she thought it would be too much for everyone." Naruto explained. "After they arrested Sayaka, the police were everywhere- asking about you and… her. The university tried to keep everything quiet you know? Ino and I were allowed off class-"

Ino snipped a lock of hair off harshly, the scissors snapping together loudly. "And suddenly everyone was claiming to have known you and that they knew all this stuff about you-"

Sakura froze in place, caught off guard.

Ino sniffed. "People were saying all these stupid, horrible things about you. That you'd run away to be with a guy- and that they all figured you would have a mental breakdown." She cut away more ferociously at Sakura's bangs. "They were all lying because the news cameras were everywhere!"

"Ino-"

"And then the news came out that Sayaka had-had… Had murdered you and I was involved and suddenly all these… vultures were suddenly your best friend!" Ino cried. "They all said how horrible it was and that they missed you so much and that they knew I was just taking advantage of you-"

Sakura didn't know what to do. Judging by the bewilderment on Naruto's face, neither did he.

Ino kept cutting, single minded in her focus. "Dean Nakamura had to come out and tell everyone that exams were cancelled because the news kept accusing them of not caring about poor Sakura Haruno's friends- they weren't even your friends!" She spat, furious as she chopped off a few more strands of hair.

Sakura was a little afraid her friend was going to cut all her hair off.

Naruto crawled over to them, reaching over Sakura's shoulder. "Ino, I think you should stop." He said quickly, and Sakura saw him take the scissor from Ino.

Ino burst into tears behind Sakura.

Sakura turned around, upset that Ino was crying. "Ino, it's okay." She said a little bit lamely. Truth be told, Sakura wasn't quite sure what Ino was upset about. It couldn't be that people had been pretending to be Sakura's friend, because Ino never really cared what other people thought. "Please don't cry."

"How can you just sit there?!" Ino exploded, scrubbing at her face and shrugging away Naruto's hands. she glared at Sakura, eyes red rimmed and puffy. "Why aren't you angry? I left you behind, Sakura! If I hadn't made you come, then you wouldn't have got hurt!"

Sakura stared in shock.

"Ino…" Naruto said softly. "Didn't we talk about this? You didn't do anything."

Ino rubbed her eyes. Sakura could hear the thick, heavy noise of her breath getting caught in her throat as she sobbed.

Sakura leaned up to pull into a tight hug. Her friend resisted at first, stiff and unhappy, but then Naruto got involved and Ino had no choice but to relax or be squished by his overexuberance.

"I'm not angry at you." Sakura whispered, clinging to her two best friends. "The whole time I was down there, I knew you guys were looking for me and it gave me the strength to hold on."

And it was true, even if they didn't know the full story. Sakura's friends and family had been her motivator to keep walking, even when she was tired. She couldn't bear the thought of them being hurt and to know that Ino blamed herself, it just made Sakura hate Sayaka more.

Ino sniffled. "I was scared you didn't want to be my friend anymore."

"You're so dumb, Ino." Sakura sighed. Naruto was squeezing too hard, but like at the hospital, Sakura didn't mind. "A big dumb blonde, you know that?"

"Hey!" Naruto cried. "I'm blond!"

Ino laughed shakily, burying her face in Sakura's shoulder.

* * *

Day 21

Rolling over, Sakura stared blankly at the dark room. She had been lying in bed for hours, eyes closed and breathing deep in an attempt to fall asleep. But she just couldn't, because she honestly wasn't tired at all.

Her ribs were still tender and hot to touch, the bruising an ugly mottled black and purple that told Sakura that they were beginning to heal. And she had put on weight, her skin no longer felt so dry all the time and she had more energy to do things, walk down to the shop with Naruto, or help her mother in the kitchen.

But sleeping all the time tended to leave you well rested, even if it was nearly midnight.

Sakura thought about watching a movie to put herself to sleep.

She was restless.

Flopping onto her back, Sakura wondered when she'd be able to go back to normal. Even though it was a weight off her shoulders that the university had automatically passed her, she still kind of missed the routine of getting up and studying.

Glancing at the clock, Sakura groaned when she saw it had just gone 12:01am.

Pushing herself up carefully, Sakura scooted over to the edge of the bed. She collected her borrowed phone and empty water bottle. Without really thinking about it, she picked up the rock that she kept on her bedside table and slipped it into the waistband of her shorts.

The house was quiet when Sakura filled up her water bottle with cold water. It was still stiflingly hot, but Sakura almost didn't mind, it gave her a convenient scapegoat for why she was sleeping.

Sakura stared out the window for a little bit, sipping her water. She didn't feel like going upstairs again, not just yet. She checked her phone a few times, scrolling through her various social media feeds. Most of it was just friends from university telling her welcome back.

Kiba had even sent a tongue in cheek greeting about how she should get fake murdered more often because his grades had never looked so good. Sakura appreciated the joke because it made it seem like nothing had changed.

She leaned against the counter and hissed in pain when she felt the rock stab her in the hip.

When she pulled it out her heart stuttered a beat at the subtle, warm glow it was giving it off. Sakura clenched her fist around it, willing the glow away but when she opened her fingers again, it was still there.

Sakura stared at the glowing pebble for a few moments. It wasn't nearly as bright as when Shisui had first given it to her, somewhere in between that brightness and its normal grey.

Looking at the pebble, Sakura realised that she couldn't keep pretending that nothing had happened in the mountain. She remembered the fall, meeting Kagami, Obito, Shisui, Sasuke, Itachi… Madara. She remembered it all, unlocking the seals locking them away.

Sakura set the rock down, biting her lip.

She'd let them out. And she had a cold feeling in her stomach that all of the disasters that had plagued Konoha while she had been in the mountain were directly related to the Uchiha's being set free. Shisui's prison being a flooded chamber and then a flash flood in Konoha? It couldn't be a coincidence.

It had all been real, despite what she so desperately wanted to believe. The Uchiha and whatever they were, were real and dangerous and _she_ had let them out. To do god knows what.

Sakura stared at the rock.

The police were saying that Sayaka had pushed her in some ill fated attempt to complete some sort of satanic ritual.

Everyone said Sayaka was crazy and delusion for believing in old myths from Konoha's founding.

It was a sobering thought to know that Sayaka had known the truth about the mountain.

"Sakura?"

Sakura swiped the rock off the bench, hiding it behind her back automatically.

Her mother squinted at her tiredly, hair a mess. "What are you doing up, sweetie?" She asked sleepily. "It's midnight, you should be sleeping."

"I needed a drink." Sakura said truthfully, clutching the rock tightly.

Her mother yawned, flapping a hand at Sakura. "C'mon, you need to rest." She said, ushering Sakura up the stairs and back into her borrowed room. "You'll never get better if you don't sleep, honey."

"I'm not tired." Sakura said, letting her mother fuss around with the blankets. "And I'm feeling much better."

"We'll talk about it in the morning." Her mother said lowly. She touched Sakura's hair gently. "You just focus on getting better, okay?"

Sakura felt terrible. She knew how stressful this had been on her parents. Having to leave the farm for two, nearly three weeks, losing out on their pay from the deliveries they would have normally done. She knew it wasn't her fault, and that her parents wouldn't see it as a burden, but even so, she knew it would just add to the stress on them.

Her mother padded away, closing the door behind herself quietly.

Sakura pulled her rock out, staring at it moodily. "Stupid." She decided.

* * *

Sakura didn't sleep well.

She had nightmares about Sayaka shoving her down the well, smiling that horrible smile. She dreamed that her rescue hadn't actually happened and that she was still stuck in the well, with no one looking for her. She kept dreaming that the mud that had dragged her down to the Uchiha was just mud this time, choking and suffocating her.

It had woken her up only a few hours after she had fallen asleep and she had spent the early morning watching movies.

It meant when the police knocked on the front door, Sakura was trying to nap on the couch, headachy and feeling worse than she had in days. She was exhausted, but she just couldn't fall asleep and she was irritated that she could never just find a nice balance of being well rested.

She heard the front door open and the low murmur of voices.

A moment later, her father walked into the large living room, Detectives Shiranui and Hatake on his heels. There was a beautiful woman with deep purple hair behind them both, dressed in a sleek black suit. She was holding a folder.

"Sakura?"

Sakura kind of wanted to pretend to be asleep but she knew that was rude and childish, so she sat up with a smile.

Genma gave her a quiet smile. "Sorry to interrupt your nap." He said. "But we thought it best we tell you in person. You know Kakashi already, but this is Yugao- she's one of the prosecutors assigned to your case."

Sakura stood up to shake the other woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you." She said, wondering what this was all about. She had already given her statement already.

Yugao smiled. "It's nice to meet you too. I'm glad you're doing better." She said, gesturing to the couch Sakura had gotten up from. "Please, this isn't formal in any capacity."

"What is this about?" Sakura's father asked, wringing his hands as he sat down next to Sakura. He was smudged with flour from where he had been baking cookies in the kitchen. He looked faintly ridiculous next to the stern, crisp clothing of the detectives and Yugao.

For a moment, the lounge was quiet.

"Sayaka has taken a plea deal." Yugao said carefully.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat.

So soon?

She hadn't wanted to think about the consequences for Sayaka, hadn't wanted to because every time Sakura thought about the accident it brought on awful nightmares and that awful choking sensation. "I…"

"We came to an agreement and because of the nature of the crimes, she'll be sentenced, sooner, rather than later…"

Sakura knew what plea deals were. While she certainly wasn't Shikamaru, she knew enough about them to be suddenly afraid. She knew that sometimes a plea deal meant the accused got out early or didn't serve time in exchange for something the state wanted.

"- assured, she'll not be able to hurt you…"

Fear seized her, rooting her feet to the ground.

What if Sayaka didn't go to jail at all?

What if she came after Sakura again?

The image of the well, yawning and black and looming, swam in front of her eyes. She could feel Sayaka's hand in her hair, the crushing sensation as her chest was crushed against the raised wall of the well.

"-kura!"

She blinked.

Detective Hatake was kneeling by her side, one hand on her back. "You're okay." He said shortly. His brusqueness was oddly comforting. "Focus on me."

Sakura realised she was breathing too hard, that her chest was aching. Her vision was swimming and she felt like she wasn't getting enough air.

A panic attack, like at the hospital.

But knowing that didn't stop it from happening.

Detective Hatake lifted her hand, putting it on his chest. "Breathe in time with me." He instructed. Sakura struggled to obey. "There you go- nice and slow, okay?"

Vaguely, Sakura was aware of Genma ushering her parents and Yugao out of the room. She didn't pay it much mind, too busy trying to force herself to calm down. Already, she was feeling light headed and woozy and it frustrated her to be so dramatic about all of this.

Detective Hatake was very kind, crouching next to her until her breath didn't come in gasps and she had stopped shaking.

"That happen often?" He asked. He didn't move his hand and Sakura was grateful. She felt odd and floaty, like she wasn't quite back yet, and the weight of his hand kept her grounded.

"A few times." She admitted.

Detective Hatake hummed. "You tell anyone?"

Sakura shook her head. She felt like crying but refused to let herself. It was getting embarrassing and annoying and she knew it would only serve to make her parents worry even more.

"The more you bottle it up, the worse it'll get." Detective Hatake told her gently, handing her an old fashioned handkerchief. "Contrary to what people say, it doesn't just go away."

Sakura tried to focus on her breathing. "I don't want anyone to worry."

"I know." Detective Hatake said quietly. "But hiding it won't make them worry less. Trust me."

There was something sad in his voice and Sakura glanced at him. His dark eyes were faraway.

He shook himself and then reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a pen and scribbled a number on her hand. "Her name is Anko Mitarashi and she's kind of crazy, but she's good at what she does." He said, pen lid clicking back into place. "There are resources for you, Sakura. I know you feel like you can't put the burden on anyone, but if you don't, it'll eat you alive."

Sakura smudged a finger over the ink, feeling like a chastised child.

" _It will burn you alive."_

Sakura shook her head, taking a deep, shuddering breath. She looked up at the tall detective, suddenly more grateful for him and his partner than ever. She had seen the news reports about their dogged persistence, and how they had refused to give up on looking for her. "Okay, I'll um… do something about."

Detective Hatake nodded, the tiniest of smiles appearing on his face. "Take a few minutes, I'll get the others."

He left without another word and Sakura took a deep breath through her nose. She played with her hands, staring at the number scrawled on her hand. While she didn't know if she'd call Detective Hatake's friend, she knew that he was right. She couldn't keep bottling it up.

She had to face it head on.

When he returned with her parents, Yugao and Genma, Sakura had made up her mind. Yugao looked frustrated and her mother was pale from seeing Sakura's panic attack. But neither her mother nor father fussed over her and Sakura was grateful for that.

She didn't think she could handle it.

She was still a bit… brittle.

"Are you alright?" Sakura's father asked, blinking rapidly.

Sakura gave him a tight smile. "Yeah. I'm sorry for scaring you."

Sakura's mother looked like she wanted to scold Sakura and Sakura saw the effort it took for her mother to shut her mouth and say nothing.

Sakura looked at Yugao, mind made up. "I'd like to be at her sentencing." She said.

* * *

I'll give a sneak peak of next chapter if anyone guesses what movie Sakura was watching!

Also sorry its so boring D:


	12. Day 23: Judgement

Ghost Stories

Day 23: Judgement

The ride to the courthouse was silent. Sakura's father was pale in the drivers seat and Sakura thought he might actually be more nervous than she was. As it were, Sakura was incredibly nervous herself and she felt a little bit sick, regretting asking to come along.

Her mother had refused to come. They'd even had an argument over it, one that led to Sakura in tears and her mother storming up to her bedroom. Poor Koha had had to intervene. Koha had told Sakura she understood her decision, but Sakura got the distinct feeling she disapproved.

Sakura played with her father's phone, refusing to feel guilty. She knew her mother was worried, but the detectives would be there, along with numerous other people. Sayaka wouldn't have a chance to hurt her.

Sakura wondered what it would be like to see the girl who tried to kill her. On the one hand, she was terrified because Sayaka's smiling face and the cold mud in the well had been haunting her dreams. And on the other, she was angry, sick and tired of waking up in a cold sweat, heart pounding.

Sayaka was going to prison and Sakura would be there to see it.

"We can go home," Sakura's father said as they pulled into the carpark of the courthouse. Sakura saw the cameras camped outside. They weren't allowed in, according to Kakashi, since it was a closed case, but the media in Konoha were vultures and Sakura imagined they would know the sentence almost as soon as it had been passed down.

Sakura stared up at the bright sandstone building. She took a deep breath. "We can't go home." She said firmly. "I have to know she's going to prison- I have to see it." Her voice sounded raspy and desperate, even to her ears.

Her father turned off the car. He smiled at her, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "That's my girl." He said fondly.

Kakashi and Genma had instructed her and her father to park around the side of the building so they could be let inside through a back way, instead of through the front. Sakura was grateful for that. She wasn't quite sure she was ready to be asked hard questions.

"You okay?" Kakashi asked lowly as he ushered Sakura and her father inside through a small fire door.

"Yeah." Sakura said. She wasn't really, or at least, she wasn't like she used to be. But then, how did one go back to normalcy after something like this?

The courthouse was big and empty and surprisingly cold. The outside of the building was warm and bright, with a beautiful garden, but the inside could not be more different. The big arching columns and pretty marble floor made for a nice background, but there wasn't much in the way of personality or comfort.

Genma and Kakashi led them through the winding, wide corridors until Sakura saw Yugao standing at a checkpoint, with a giant man, and a uniformed guard looking through their bags.

"No phones." Genma said gently.

Sakura hated the sound of that. The thought of going without her phone was uncomfortable for her. Even if she wasn't using it, it was a comforting weight in her hand or her pocket. Rarely did she not have it on her, even at work.

Yugao and the tall man met them on the other side of the checkpoint, bags in hand. Shikamaru's father was also there, neatly dressed in his dress blues. Once they were all finished checking in their items, Yugao led the way down another set of winding corridors.

Shikaku Nara looked at Sakura for a long time, lips pressed tightly together. A small, tight smile graced his mouth for a moment. "I'm sorry I haven't been in to visit, Sakura. You're doing well?"

Sakura shrugged, sidling closer to her father. "Better." She admitted. She wasn't really sure how to answer that when people asked. Physically, she was doing much better, but at the same time, her entire world had been turned upside down by the knowledge that the stories about the mountain and the Uchiha family were worse than the myths could ever know.

The police chief sighed, nodding. "You don't need to do this." At her expression, he smiled. "But you will, I know. Just know if you want to leave, at any time, Genma or Kakashi will take you outside."

Sakura's father took her hand gently, squeezing in a silent word of encouragement.

"I can do this."

The second man, the big one, got off the phone. He was huge, far taller than Kakashi and Genma, and broader than her own father. He was also terrifying. There were big, red scars raked across his face, as if he'd been clawed by a bear or a tiger. His eyes were cold and his mouth thin and downturned.

He examined Sakura critically. "I'm not surprised you're here." He said. "You're braver than most, aren't you?"

His way of speaking reminded Sakura of Madara.

He nodded, something like approval in his eyes. "Ibiki Morino. I'll be handling the recommendations for Sayaka's sentencing. You have nothing to worry about- She'll get what she deserves."

And at the same time, it was almost comforting. He was blunt and honest, and Sakura believed him when he spoke. She smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded, looking around at the gathered group, focusing particularly on Genma for some reason. "Shouldn't have to say this, but I will for those of you in the group who seem to have memories like sieves."

Sakura had a feeling that wasn't directed at her.

"Keep your traps shut." Mr. Morino glowered, and it was almost as terrifying as his blank face. One side of his mouth didn't even move because of the thick scarring, and Sakura couldn't help but wondered where he'd gotten them.

They didn't look like an accident.

Yugao looked at Sakura then, a reassuring smile on her face. "We'll handle everything, Sakura. Don't worry."

It was… odd, to have so many people on her side. She felt almost like she didn't deserve it, because she hadn't been tortured or paralysed, wasn't near death, or permanently crippled. She felt almost like a fraud, because these people were going to such effort and she was just… fine.

The hold her father hand on her hand turned bruising when Mr. Morino pulled open the giant doors, one handed. He ushered them all in, nodding at Sakura sternly as she passed.

The courtroom was smaller than Sakura imagined, though no less imposing. It was obviously meant for more people, given the three rows of pews set up. The ceiling arched overhead, painted an off white, and the windows were set high in the walls, giving the room almost no natural light.

The room was empty aside from a young woman setting up something that looked like a computer in the corner of the room. There was a cheap chair behind the folding table and Sakura thought it looked very out of place in the stately room.

Mr. Morino and Yugao strode to the front of the room, letting themselves through the little gate. They looked confident and powerful.

"When she comes in," Kakashi whispered to Sakura as he showed them to their seats behind Mr. Morino and Yugao's desk, "she might try to taunt you, or talk to you. Don't react, it's what she wants."

Sakura sat down, feeling a little overwhelmed. The seat was hard and uncomfortable.

"Don't let her get to you." Kakashi continued. Genma sat down on Sakura's left, her father on her right.

Genma squeezed her shoulder. "We'll be here." He said comfortingly. Shikamaru's father said nothing, sitting down on the other side of Kakashi, but he did give Sakura a half smile of confidence.

Sakura turned when the door opened.

A statuesque woman walked through the doors, stunning and stern. She was icy blonde, much like Ino, and her eyes suited her hair, just as cold and freezing. Everything about her screamed power, from the tailored cut of her pantsuit, to the crisp folder in her hand.

"Samui Yono." Genma said quietly.

Sakura heard the unspoken half of that sentence. This must be Sayaka's lawyer.

Suddenly, next to Samui's elegance and obvious experience, Mr. Morino and Yugao didn't look nearly so powerful or put together. Samui's suit was obviously expensive, as was her leather folder. Everything about the blonde woman was expensive.

The room was quiet for a few minutes. Yugao fussed with her papers, Mr. Morino glared at everything and Samui just stared, perfectly composed.

Sakura fidgeted with her long sleeves. It was hot outside, but she loathed to show off her cast and bruises.

Sakura's stomach was filled with churning when a door opened on the side of the courtroom. It wasn't very loud, but in the silence of the room it seemed like a gunshot.

Sayaka held her head high as she was led into the room. She was still very beautiful, even in her grey jumpsuit. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, long and thick and Sakura thought it was unfair she still looked pristine, even after being in prison.

She didn't look at Sakura at all, back ramrod straight as she sat down next to the tall, imposing blonde lawyer.

For some reason, it made Sakura angry.

She wanted Sayaka to look her in the eye and know that Sakura wasn't the one who had lost her life. She wanted Sayaka to feel ashamed and regretful when she looked at Sakura on the other side of the fence, because Sayaka was never going to leave prison.

 _Look,_ a tiny voice hissed, _look you bitch,_ _ **I'm alive**_.

Sakura's father was white and his grip on Sakura's hand was bruising. Sakura looked up at him. He was angry, eyes wet. In another time, if there weren't so many people between them, Sakura thought he might try and hurt Sayaka.

Sakura stared at the back of Sayaka's head, trying to understand why. She had never been anything but nice to the other girl- why would she do this? What could possibly drive her to be so… cold?

The hurt at being taken advantage of and played for a fool came back.

A door banged open at the front of the room, startling Sakura and her father. In swept a short woman, grey and wrinkled, though her back was ruler straight and her gaze clear. Sakura knew her face, that was Old Lady Chiyo, the bane of Lady Tsunade's existence, apparently.

"All rise for Lady Chiyo-"

Sakura scrambled up, feeling out of place as the old woman strode into the room. An intern scuttled along behind her, barely managing to keep from sloshing the water in a crystal jug everywhere. Sakura felt a little bit sorry for him.

"Goodness boy, it's not a race. Calm down before you keel over." Sakura heard Lady Chiyo said crisply. She looked up at them and rolled her eyes. "Sit, god. This room is hardly the place for such…" Her gaze shifted to Sayaka, who was standing as well. "Sit."

The chair in the judges box squeaked loudly as the small woman sat down. Sakura heard her sigh.

The room was quiet, save for the rustling of clothes as everyone sat down. Sakura swallowed. Honestly, she had never thought about what would happen- hadn't really thought about it actually happening. It seemed like a television show to be honest, and she half expected to find herself back in the well.

Lady Chiyo shuffled some papers.

Eventually, the old woman looked up, straight at Sakura. She stared at Sakura over her glasses, calculating. Sakura felt like a bug under a microscope, but she remembered Ino's words about being confident and stared back.

Lady Chiyo snorted and nodded to herself. "Good morning all." She said, voice surprisingly clear and resonant despite her age. "This is the sentencing hearing for Ms. Sayaka Watanabe in Case 2587 against the City-State of Konoha."

Sakura took a deep breath.

"Young lady, you have been formally charged with the murder of Ms. Kyoko Watanabe, stalking Sakura Haruno, conspiracy to commit murder, and attempted murder of Sakura Haruno." Lady Chiyo clicked her tongue, eyebrows rising. "Your plea of guilty has not changed?"

Sayaka said nothing.

Ms. Yono answered instead. "It has not, Your Honour."

Chiyo sighed deeply. "Well then, carry on Morino."

Mr. Morino rose, rebuttoning his suit jacket. "For each of the charges, the state asks for the maximum penalty available." He waved a hand at Sayaka, still unmoving and seemingly uninterested in the proceedings. "There is a substantial risk, from an independent testimony by Dr. Mitarashi that Sayaka poses a high risk of reoffending should she get the chance."

Lady Chiyo looked at her papers in front of her, obviously listening hard.

Sakura hoped that she was considering never letting Sayaka out again. Ms. Watanabe, Sayaka's mother had already died, and wasn't that enough to lock someone up?

Ms. Yono scoffed loudly. "There is no conclusive evidence about psychologists being able to accurately predict the chances of reoffence- not since Dr. Nakamura debunked those claims last year." She shuffled her papers. "In fact, independent examination by Dr. Yakushi found that Sayaka suffers from BPD and severe depression-"

"Dr. Yakushi is a hack." Mr. Morino interrupted rudely. "Your Honour, we believe that risk of reoffending is high- especially given the premeditated nature of her crimes." Mr. Morino said briskly. He waved a hand. "I don't think we'd be remiss in asking for each of the sentences to be served concurrently, with no possibility of parole."

"Absolutely not." Ms. Yono interrupted sharply. She stood up. "Sayaka is young, and to lump her in with career criminals such as Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi would be incredibly irresponsible- The state of Konoha is not in the business of depriving its youth of a chance at rehabilitation and reintegration into society."

"Indeed we are not." Lady Chiyo said.

"What's more is the claims that Sayaka is a psychopath- diagnosis of psychopaths is highly questionable given how little literature there is to back up-"

"I doubt very much the voracity of thos-"

"An independent psychologist, not one frequented by state police officers and former army-"

Lady Chiyo slammed her gavel down and Sakura jumped at just how loud it was, like a gunshot. She pressed her lips together, obviously unimpressed. "This is not a trial, Councillors. It is a sentencing hearing and I expect that most of your arguing would have happened outside of the courtroom."

"Yes Ma'am." Mr. Morino said, dipping his head. "But it still remains that-"

"Life, for murder in the first degree, fifteen years for attempted murder in the first degree, eight years for stalking, and three years for conspiracy to commit murder." Chiyo said over him, lifting a sheet of paper and peering at it. "To be served concurrently, without the possibility of early release through Konoha's good behaviour system?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Ms. Yono stood up. "I am asking for leniency. Certainly not no punishment at all, given the serious nature of the crimes. But a life sentence is a dangerous precedent to be setting- I ask instead that the charge be reduced to life in prison, capped at the maximum of twenty one years for Kyoko Watanabe's murder."

Sakura's heart was beating quickly. If Sayaka only got twenty one years for killing her mother-

"The conspiracy to commit murder is superfluous." Ms. Yono continued, and Sakura almost hated her for it. She knew it was her job to defend Sayaka, but Sakura didn't see how she could with such composure and zeal. She knew what Sayaka had done. "That charge in fact has been duplicated within the stalking charge and is nothing more than the state tacking on extra, unjust punishment."

Lady Chiyo hummed.

"Hardly- there were multiple stalking victims, however Sayaka only conspired to, and planned out, in meticulous detail, murder only one of those victims. There is a clear distinction-"

"Is there?"

"Enough, shut up- both of you." Lady Chiyo snapped, uninterested in the arguing. Instead, she peered over her glasses at Sayaka. "Do you have anything to say in your own defense, young lady?"

Sakura leaned forward.

"We do." Samui said instead, clicking back to the desk coolly professional. "We have an apology Sayaka would like to read to the court, and to Sakura Haruno."

Sakura recoiled. Next to her, Genma's head tilted and Kakashi snorted disbelief.

Sayaka… couldn't honestly be sorry- could she? Sakura had seen the smile on her face when she had shoved Sakura down the well- people didn't smile like that if they were sorry. Sayaka wasn't sorry for hurting Sakura or killing her own mother, she was simply doing it because she had gotten caught.

Samui put a piece of a paper in front of Sayaka.

Sayaka stared at it and then shoved it away belligerently. "I'm not reading that." She said, bored. She glanced over her shoulder at Sakura.

It was the first time she had looked at Sakura the whole time. Her eyes were dark and devoid of anything but contempt. There was nothing for Sakura in that gaze but disgust. It made her beautiful face very ugly and twisted.

"I'm not sorry." Sayaka said to Sakura, sneering.

Sakura's father jerked, and Sakura tightened her grip on his hand, afraid he would do something stupid.

Sakura swallowed.

"You're not? Well then…" Lady Chiyo said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Ms. Yono, do you have anything else to add that I need to consider?"

* * *

"You are not?"

Sayaka spun around in her seat, mouth halfway open.

That wasn't the old crone's voice. No, this one was smooth and silky, with just a hint of playfulness and decidedly male.

She looked up.

The Uchiha from the police office smiled at her from the judges box, eyes red. "I said to have patience, clever girl. And you did." He leaned on his palm, looking just as he had that day in the police station, playful and sweet. "We saw you."

Sayaka didn't trust him. He had kept her _waiting_. "And you didn't do shit." She snarled.

He blinked, obviously surprised.

A hand landed on the back of her neck. It made her freeze. The hand was big, encompassing her neck so easily, calloused with work. Slowly, like a lovers would, it traced up the back of her head, thumb brushing over the bare skin behind her ear. "Our apologies." A deep voice said, much more overtly masculine than the Uchiha from the police station.

Sayaka didn't move. Something was wrong. She could feel it. There was a hollow feeling in her stomach, as if she hadn't eaten in days and she hated it.

The hand shoved her head to the side, hard enough to startle her, but not enough to hurt. "Sincerely, we are so sorry."

There was no sincerity in his voice. Sayaka wasn't stupid, she knew how to read people, manipulate them. This Uchiha wasn't even attempting to pretend to be sincere and genuine.

Sayaka looked up at the Uchiha behind her, seething at being manhandled and at the stupid, empty feeling in her stomach. She didn't like what was going on, it pissed her off and she didn't know why. "Don't touch me." She snarled.

This Uchiha was much taller than the other, with hair that framed his face, spiky and wild in the back. He was incredibly handsome, with a sharp jaw and long, lush lashes. He didn't say anything.

"Sasuke." A new voice chastised, teasing.

Sayaka's head whipped around. The cold feeling was growing, spreading.

She could see Yono staring at her, eyes narrow with frustration and cheeks flushed, ever so slightly pink.

Her lawyer said something, but there was no sound.

"What's going on?" Sayaka demanded. This new Uchiha was bulkier than the one in the box, and the one behind her. He was burly muscle, raw power, judging from the breadth of his shoulders. "Who are you?"

He sighed, looking at her with sympathetic eyes. "I am Madara. And where my younger brother lacks tact, I do not. We are sorry for leaving you to.. languish in this… _place_ ," His nose curled as he examined the room around them, "for so long."

Sayaka stared at him for a moment. She was acutely aware of the one behind her. "You should be." She said sharply. She lifted her hands, shaking her cuffs at them. "Look at what they've done to me, all because you couldn't do as you were told and free me!"

Madara strode closer, reaching out to touch the wood of the desk. He was dressed in modern day clothes, a dark red shirt and black jeans, and it infuriated Sayaka more.

They had had time to change clothes- to acclimatise themselves, but they had no time to serve her?

"There is little I can say to properly express my feelings." Madara said carefully, eyes sliding away from hers for a moment. "But there is something I can do to prove it. Tell me, what do you want?"

Sayaka felt Sasuke move closer and glanced up at him. He looked down at her, listening expectantly. He really was beautiful, and Sayaka thought he would make a suitable replacement for the useless college boys she'd been using before.

And he couldn't die, which made it all the more alluring.

The cold feeling receded even more.

Finally.

They were doing as they were told.

Sayaka leaned back in her chair. Sasuke's hand slipped onto her shoulder, sliding down her arm, soft and intimate. She lifted her hands, pointing them straight at Sakura. "Kill her." She challenging Madara.

Sakura had fulfilled her purpose down in that well, but her very existence pissed Sayaka off. She should have just died like the useless bitch she was.

And she wanted to see the look on the smug detectives' faces when their pretty, perfect little college student dropped dead in front of them.

"Kill her for me." She repeated, leaning back into Sasuke.

* * *

"Who… Who is she talking to?" Genma asked, leaning forward in confusion. Kakashi was like a statue at his side.

Sakura shifted uneasily, cringing into her father. Sayaka was suddenly ignoring the room, talking to empty air and then falling silent as if she was having a conversation. It was unsettling and creepy, watching her speak to empty spaces, look at them as if there was something there.

Sayaka's head jerked and she looked up, glaring furiously at something behind. "Don't touch me." She hissed, voice contemptuous and almost inhuman.

"Ms. Watanabe!" Lady Chiyo snapped, slamming her gavel down. "Look at me young lady!"

Samui grabbed Sayaka's arm, shaking her slightly. "Enough, Sayaka!" She said sharply. Everyone could hear the tinge of fear in her voice.

Sayaka didn't seem to notice any of it. Instead she simply turned around, watching an empty part of the courtroom intently. Sakura leaned forward, watching in horror and curiosity. Sayaka was following something with her eyes, responding to whatever it was that only she could see.

Sakura's body went cold.

People couldn't do that.

They couldn't just track something with their eyes, not smoothly like Sayaka was doing, not without a visual cue.

Sakura looked to where Sayaka was watching.

There was nothing there.

"Sayaka!" Samui barked again, shaking the girl hard. "Sayaka, stop!"

"If this is a ploy…" Morino growled warningly. But even he looked unconvinced by his own words, staring at Sayaka with narrow eyes and a tight posture that spoke of uncertainty. Yugao had risen to her feet behind him, clutching a file.

Sayaka suddenly leaned back in her chair. She smirked, lifting her hands and turning to face Sakura. "Kill her." She demanded imperiously, voice ringing out through the courtroom. She looked smug and triumphant as her eyes met Sakura's. "Kill her for me."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat and she was frozen in place.

The room turned icy.

* * *

Madara looked at Sayaka for a long while. He nodded, taking a deep breath.

It was the one from the police station who answered. "No." He said simply, smiling like it was no big deal that they had just refused one of her commands, especially after they had essentially thrown her to the wolves.

Sayaka blinked at him incredulously, speechless for a moment. "Excuse me? Who are you?!"

"Kagami." He said, grinning.

"He said no." Sasuke said tauntingly from behind her. His other hand traced a path up the side of her neck and Sayaka jerked away. "Did you not hear?"

Sayaka shoved her chair back, enraged by their unwillingness to do her bidding. They were hers to control and she was sick and tired of them acting as if they had any say in the matter. She was sick of their independence and wilful arrogance. "Did you not hear?!" She shrieked. "Kill her!"

Madara smiled at her patronisingly.

"Kill her and make them apologise to me!" Sayaka shrieked, turning to lash out at Sasuke. "Make them apologise for locking me up!"

He caught the chains easily, dragging her in. "No."

Sayaka screamed at him. "You have to! I control you- That was the fucking deal, I freed you and now I have dominion over you- all of you! You don't get to say no to me, ever!"

"Shh." Sasuke soothed, voice silky smooth and patronising. He sounded like he was about to laugh.

"Think." Kagami called from the judges box. "Think, _clever girl_." He leaned on his fist, watching her with interested eyes. There was nothing genuine in them now.

Sayaka realised they were mocking her. "Let me go!" She demanded, spinning around, trying to rip the chains from Sasuke's grip. "You don't get to say no to me!"

Madara tilted his head, moving closer, trapping her between his tall frame and Sasuke's behind her. Sasuke's hold was like steel, completely unbreakable no matter how hard she pulled and tugged. Madara's hands were warm as he cupped her face, tilting her chin up look him in the eye.

The cold feeling spread all over.

"Was it really you who spilled the pure blood of a kind soul?" Madara asked. "Those old translations can be so difficult to read, can't they? Simple minds do often get confused when trying to decipher them."

Sayaka stared at him, trying to understand what he had just said to her. " _ **I didn't get confused**_." She snarled. " _I_ deciphered the texts, and _I'm_ the one who shoved her down the well- _I_ spilled pure blood, _you belong to me now_!"

"Do we?" Sasuke asked, hands sliding up her arms, gentle.

Sayaka gasped when his hold tightened to a restraint. "Yes! It was my hard work- I deserve this! I do! I do! I translated the transcript, I did everything- She didn't do shit!" She struggled against Sasuke, the cold feeling spreading up into her chest.

Sakura can't have-

No.

Sayaka _hadn't_ made a mistake. She had read the manuscript correctly, she had spilled pure blood. The Uchiha's belonged to _her_ now.

"Perhaps," Madara said, "you ought to learn how to read." He taunted.

Sayaka wanted to rip his face off.

"Blood spilled by a pure heart, who gives willingly out of empathy, they shall undo the seal and hold the power in their palm." Madara said, giving the oath an almost sing song quality. "What pureness does your heart hold, Sayaka, hm?"

"Enough of this." Sasuke said. His arm banded across her neck, dragging her back into his chest. She barely came up to his shoulder.

Sayaka squirmed, furious at being manhandled. "Don't fucking touch me!" She screamed. "Let me go- I did this, you belong to me, you have to do as I say! That was the promise- I free you, and you do as I say!"

"Oh, stupid girl." Kagami cooed from next to her. The suddenness of his appearance made Sayaka jerk in fear. "Stupid girl."

The cold feeling was creeping up her throat, choking. Sayaka realised that she had severely miscalculated somewhere. Her commands, they weren't working- the Uchiha were just playing with her, like a sick cat and mouse game.

She strained against Madara and Sasuke's holds, fury chasing away the cold feeling when she craned her neck around and saw Sakura's big, stupid doe eyes gawking at her. "No!"

* * *

"Restrain her!" Lady Chiyo shouted.

"I'm trying!" The bailiff cried, struggling with Sayaka. She was squirming around, trying to get away from him but Sakura had a terrible feeling that Sayaka was fighting to get away from someone else altogether.

A part of her begged her to speak up, to tell them to stop.

Itachi, Sasuke, Madara, Obito, Shisui- Kagami- who, which-

But then it would be real-

Lady Chiyo was barking orders, Kakashi was already moving away. Sakura was frozen though.

She couldn't think.

* * *

"Yes." Madara hissed, gleeful as he yanked her face back around.

Sayaka snarled at him. "She's weak and stupid-" But her rage was so much that it made her speechless, made her throat close with pure hatred as she glared at the other girl. She hated Sakura Haruno with every fibre of her being.

She wanted to tear Sakura's throat out, show the Uchiha's just how pure that stupid, doe eyed bimbo was when she was bleeding out and crying.

Sayaka didn't understand.

Sakura was a dumb bitch, crying and whimpering and begging- she wasn't ambitious or clever or cunning. She was just a meek, bleeding heart idiot. Sayaka was none of that, was beautiful and strong and smart and yet they still picked Sakura over her?

Why her!?

The detectives were pulling Sakura up, ushering her out- protecting her.

Why her?! Why was it always her!?

Sasuke's hand slid around her throat, tightening to the point of making her choke and gasp for air. Sayaka struggled, kicking and thrashing against the two men caging her in, but it was like trying to break a brick wall. Neither of them so much as flinched at her blows.

"Let me go." She demanded, raspy and chest tight. She refused to back down- She deserved power and recognition and they were going to give it to her. "Let me go!"

"No." Sasuke taunted in her ear. "Look."

As if she wasn't in control anymore, Sayaka's eyes slid up Madara's face, unwilling. His eyes spun red and the smile on his face promised nothing for her, no power, or recognition, or respect.

The cold feeling washed over her.

And Sayaka realised what it was.

Fear.

She was afraid.

And yet, she couldn't look away from the spinning black commas in front of her. They were hypnotic and dangerously beautiful. Faster and faster they spun, until they blurred together in a dance of red and black.

She was mesmerised.

Madara's eyes stopped moving. There was a new pattern there, a mix of hard lines and gentle curves.

They were beautiful.

He smiled at her. " _Stupid girl_."

And then something in her mind just…

 _Snapped_.

* * *

Sayaka's gaze was dreamy as she stared off into the distance, no longer fighting the portly bailiff.

And then her expression morphed into one of pain and she opened her mouth and screamed.

It sounded like she was in pure agony.

Sakura flinched, clapping her hands over her ears automatically. But she couldn't look away from Sayaka as the other girl writhed and thrashed in the hold of the bailiff. He was obviously struggling with her as she flailed, stumbling and failing to keep the young woman under control.

Sakura could see the veins in Sayaka's neck standing out, saw the redness around her eyes.

"Don't look!" Genma snapped, spinning Sakura around and pushing her out of the aisle. Kakashi was already gone, jumping over the low barrier and helping the bailiff with Sayaka's flailing limbs. Composed Samui had backed away, eyes wide and hand over her mouth.

"She's seizing- Get her on the ground- We need a doctor!" Sakura heard Kakashi yell.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder, out of a horrible, morbid desire to look.

Sayaka's head was craned back, neck arched painfully, and Sakura saw that the veins around her eyes hard turned scarlet, leaving the skin veiny and red, the rest of her face a deathly white. Her eyes were bulging, and her nose was bleeding.

She looked nothing like the proud, beautiful woman that had walked into the courtroom less than fifteen minutes ago.

Sakura whimpered, horrified and turned away.

Genma shoved her outside, dragging her down the hallway, Sakura's father close behind. The doors closed with a heavy slam. Immediately, Sayaka's screaming was muffled, almost to the point of silence. Even so, it seemed to ring in the air around them.

Genma walked them down the hallway. His grip around Sakura's bicep was tight and his hand was shaking.

Sakura realised she was crying.

"Come here." Sakura's father said sternly, pulling her away from Genma when they stopped walking. Sakura clung to him, burying her face into his soft shirt, sobbing. "It's okay."

But it really wasn't.

Sayaka hadn't been Sakura's friend. She had tried to kill Sakura, had hurt her, was a bad person with no regard for other people. But seeing her like that… It was wrong. She looked like she was in so much pain and even if Sakura hated her, she never wanted to see Sayaka hurting.

"I have to go back." Genma was saying. "Stay here. We'll get someone to take you home."

Sakura wished she had never come.

Genma hurried away and Sakura's father patted her hair gently, murmuring quiet words of comfort.

It didn't really help because Sakura just knew, deep in her stomach, that Sayaka wouldn't survive.

* * *

Samui stumbled away, frightened of Sayaka's ramblings and screaming. She felt someone grab her arm, pull her away from Sayaka's flailing limbs and screaming form.

It was Detective Shiranui. "Look away." He told her, guiding her over to where Yugao was standing. Yugao grabbed her arm, dragging her forward, away from Sayaka.

Samui couldn't look away.

Sayaka was writhing on the ground and Morino, Hatake, and the bailiff were all trying to hold her still, but she seemed to possess some sort of unnatural strength. Samui could see how much they were struggling with her.

Detective Shiranui moved away to help the others.

Samui flinched when Sayaka's voice cracked.

"My god…" Yugao whispered. "Oh my god. What's wrong with her?"

Samui had no idea. All she could do was watch in horror as the four men tried to keep Sayaka from bashing herself to death on the hard wooden floors. A tiny part of Samui wondered if maybe, perhaps, Sayaka's insistence about the existence of the Uchiha's were true, and this was punishment for delving into something she shouldn't have.

Sayaka's voice gave out suddenly, leaving her screaming soundlessly at the ceiling. Her back was locked, and her skin was pale and sickly looking, almost translucent. But it was her eyes that frightened Samui the most. The skin around them was puffy and red, the veins there turning scarlet, her eyes bulging from her sockets.

Yugao wretched, turning away when Sayaka jerked violently, tearing her shoulder away from Detective Shiranui and a wet crack rang out through the courtroom.

Samui shuddered.

"We need a fucking doctor- she's going to kill herself!" The bailiff cried, terrified.

That was it. Samui couldn't watch any longer. Sayaka had been terrifying as a client, cold and utterly self-absorbed, with no regard for other people's lives. She was cold and calculating and had delusions of committing genocide on a world wide scale.

But this…

Yugao was sickly white, hand over her mouth.

They had gone to law school together. With Mei. Samui turned the other woman from the horrible sight behind them, clutching her arm tightly. Yugao was shaking and Samui was sure she was as well.

The door slammed open and there was the sound of footsteps. But Samui didn't look.

"Move, move, move- Jesus-"

Samui closed her eyes, blocking out the sounds behind her.

* * *

Koharu swallowed when she saw the news report.

To be so overt… and in front of Sakura too.

The Uchiha were most definitely angry. Something like this, Sayaka's death, it was undoubtedly a warning to her and Homura, that the Uchiha were back and in force.

But the death was incredibly violent. She had heard the reports from Chiyo about the girl's terrifying seizure, seen the preliminary report from the coroners office. Brain trauma- bleeding on the brain, massive swelling and ultimately heart failure.

Violent, even for ones such as the Uchiha, and needlessly cruel. The girl had suffered for hours before her heart gave out.

"And now onto the investigation into the bear attack on three Konoha Technology University students. Preliminary coroners reports say each of the students died from massive trauma, more than likely due to an animal attack." The reporter on the report droned, flipping her sheets of paper.

Koharu played with her necklace, thinking hard. She had heard Kizashi's and Mebuki's whispered conversation about taking Sakura home, and letting her recover and rest there. A sound plan for Sakura's mental health, but Koharu wasn't particularly concerned about that.

With Sakura gone, Koharu would no longer be able to cement herself in Sakura's life as a kindly old lady. And that would leave her vulnerable.

"Konoha parks services had this to say."

"We are doing everything we can to investigate these deaths. We are searching for the animal responsible-"

Koharu muted the television when she heard Sakura padding down the stairs. She had been working the girl for the past week, trying to ensure the girl thought of her as a sweet woman, one that Sakura would undoubtedly feel close to, or protective of. It would warn the Uchiha's away, especially when they risked Sakura finding out.

"Oh…" Sakura dithered in the doorway.

There was something in Sakura's face that pulled on a old, seldom used heartstring, somewhere deep in Koharu's chest. "Come in." She said instead, waving the young woman into the lounge room. "You have had a big day- I'm not surprised you can't sleep."

Sakura sat down next to her. "I just… She tried to kill me. I should be happy that she's gone, you know?" She took a deep breath, twisting her fingers. "But I keep thinking about her face- she was in so much pain."

Sayaka Watanabe deserved no sympathy. She was a sick human, defective in the worst sort of way. But Koharu had to agree. Her death was painful and unnecessary. "There is nothing I can say to make it easier, Sakura."

Sakura sighed, putting on a smile. "I know."

"I won't say it's karma for her actions." Koharu said, almost at a loss for how to comfort the girl. She almost wanted to walk away but resisted the urge because it would do her no favours in winning Sakura's affection. "You can be sad for her death, and still know she was a bad person."

The young woman tucked a strand of her ridiculous hair behind her ear. "I suppose."

The lounge was quiet. On the television, the anchor was speaking about the investigation into the supposed bombing at General Danzo Shimura's apartment and his status as a missing person. Koharu knew the police were wasting their time. Danzo was long dead and they would find nothing to link a killer.

Shisui no doubt.

"Hey…" Sakura played with the hem of her pyjama shirt. "Do you know anything about the Uchiha?"

Koharu stiffened. She needed to be careful here. "Aside from the myths, precious little. This isn't about Sayaka's obsession, is it?"

Sakura nodded. "Just… wondering why she'd do something like that for a story."

She was lying, badly too. Koharu didn't say anything about it. If she revealed herself to early, Sakura might connect the dots between herself and the Uchiha and that was the last thing she wanted right now. Eventually, she would reveal herself to the girl, but by then, Sakura would see her as an ally, and a trusted friend, not someone to be suspicious of.

A little more time and that would be assured.

"Who knows why she did what she did." Koharu said, taking the young woman's hand and squeezing. Sakura did have beautiful eyes, but they were wasted on a mortal. "Thinking about it will do nothing good, I can assure you, Sakura."

Sakura squeezed her hand back. "Thank you." She said genuinely. Her smiled was soft and grateful. "For looking after me and my family, for… housing us. For everything. You didn't have to do any of it, but you did."

Koharu thought the girl was completely and utterly naïve.

* * *

Sakura sat in the lounge long after Koha went to bed. She knew she wouldn't sleep, not after what she had seen in the courtroom.

Sayaka's face was stark in her mind, eyes bulging and nose bleeding. And her screams just bounced around Sakura's skull, playing over and over and over again, on a nonstop loop.

But that wasn't what Sakura was focused on.

She had heard what Sayaka had been screaming about in the courtroom. About spilling pure blood. At the time, Sakura hadn't thought anything of it, too scared by the crazy ramblings of someone going insane.

But now…

Now Sakura wasn't so sure Sayaka was insane.

The horrific way she had died… the things she had said.

It had to have been the Uchiha, though she didn't know who.

Pure blood. Spilling pure blood.

A memory of a cold finger tracing a line around the deep gash on her palm.

" _Blood."_

The lounge was silent, the T.V. providing the only light, bathing everything in artificial white light as the late night news anchor relayed the days news, including the news of the sudden and mysterious death of Sayaka Watanabe.

Sakura wasn't looking at the television screen.

Instead she just stared at her rock.

What if what she suspected to be the truth, was true? Even with the rock in her hands at the hospital, Sakura still hadn't quite trusted her memory. Things like… Myths and legends didn't just come true overnight and a legend like the one about the Uchiha Warlords and the mountain- they were so outlandish there couldn't be any truth to them.

But Sayaka hadn't been talking to thin air- she hadn't been struggling to get away from the bailiff.

Sakura was sure of it.

One- or all of the Uchiha had been in that courtroom, and for whatever reason, they had seen fit to kill Sayaka-

Did that mean she was nex-

Sakura clung to her rock, heart beating too fast in her chest. "Stop it." She hissed. "Stop it."

Over and over, each of the Uchiha had assured her that they wouldn't hurt her, that they would be kind to her.

Spill pure blood.

Sayaka had been screaming about how she had done it, how she had broken the seals, but Sakura, in all of her scepticism of anything remotely supernatural, knew that wasn't true. Sayaka hadn't broken any seal-

Sakura had.

Blood. Hope. Whatever Shisui had taken-

Sakura had broken the seals.

" _You don't get to say no to me! Ever!"_

The implications of Sayaka's insistent words, her declarations that she controlled them… Sakura was coming to the realisation that whatever it was she was involved in went far deeper than she had first realised.

This wasn't just some fever dream she was having.

"I need…" Sakura looked at her rock, a sick feeling in her stomach.

Had the Uchiha killed Sayaka because of her?

Sakura didn't know what to do. "I need to go to the library." She whispered, clinging to the rock. Because she didn't know what else she could do- she didn't know what the Uchiha were doing, or truly how dangerous they were, but they had made it abundantly clear that they were very willing to kill.


	13. Day 25: When All is Said and Done

So I have a mind like a sieve and can't remember if I told you guys already. So, I'll tell you (again?). But basically, from the get-go, I always intended for Sakura and Sasuke to have the closest relationship in the beginning- You'll see what I mean, but there is a reason why it's just Sasuke this chapter.

Anyway. Sorry for disappearing on you all. My life exploded, I had to move, look for a new job, do my exams and papers and it just. Yah. It's fine now tho. I mean, granted, everything still on fire, but you know.

If you follow me on tumblr, redbunbun01 (shameless pluuuuug), then you would have seen a portion of this chapter. Also, I put a snippet I wrote for the UchiSaku GoT themed story that never came to be a thing.

I'm sorry for being away so long. So as an apology, I made this chapter a bit longer and I extended the scene between Sakura and Sasuke.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 13

Day 25: When All is Said and Done

" _Sakura!"_

Sakura jolted awake suddenly, the sensation of falling far too real. She yelped, throwing out her arm automatically to catch herself, but it was too late, and she tumbled out of bed, face first. Her hand caught the bedside table as she fell, knocking the glass of water down as well.

It shattered when it hit the ground.

Sakura gasped, curling around herself protectively, disoriented and side aching from the fall.

Slowly, slowly, she caught her breath and forced her pounding heart to slow down. Sitting up, Sakura leaned back on her one good hand.

The lamp on the bedside table was still on. The glass from the shattered glass gleamed orange and yellow in the light, throwing jagged shadows along the floor and wall.

Sakura got up slowly, careful not to step on any of the glass on the floor. She sat down on the bed, hand over her side and aching wrist tucked into her lap. For a moment, she just sat there, heart still beating too quickly and breathless from having been woken so rudely.

She didn't remember falling asleep. Her laptop was on the covers, screen black. The notebook she had been writing in was lying on her pillow, pen missing.

Sakura picked up her phone, checking the time.

12:04am.

What had woken her?

The voice had sounded like it was right by her ear.

And it had definitely not been her mother or father. It was too… different for that, but she didn't remember how, or what it sounded like, only that she had heard it before. It sounded insistent and annoyed, that was all she remembered.

It didn't immediately come back to her and Sakura shook it away, dismissing it as a dream.

She sighed when she realised she would have to clean up the broken water and glass. If she didn't, she'd no doubt step on it in the morning.

She retrieved some towels and a dustpan and brush from the kitchen, careful not to make too much noise and wake her parents. Sakura set to work, mopping up the spilt water, careful not to cut herself on the shattered glass, and when it was wiped as best as she could, she began sweeping the glass up.

The lamp made it easy to see where the glass was, and it was a simple enough thing to collect it all.

One of the larger pieces, however, was stuck point first in the wood. Sakura made a face when she realised it had damaged the polished wooden floors and hoped that Koha wouldn't noticed the small hole.

Sakura tugged on the glass, frowning at how hard it was to budge. She pulled harder on it and all of a sudden, it came out under her hand, slipping through her fingers and slicing the pad of her index finger open. Sakura stumbled, falling from her haunches onto her bottom as it came free.

"Ah-" Sakura glared at the glass accusingly as her finger began to bleed. Grumbling, she stuck her finger in her mouth to stem the bleeding and picked up the stubborn shard with her other hand.

Seeing it in the palm of her hand, bloodied and turned golden orange by the lamplight reminded Sakura of another piece of glass- though that one had been mirrored and silver. It seemed like it had happened such a long time ago- it almost didn't seem real.

She'd been putting off.

Despite seeing Sayaka die, despite knowing, for certain, that the Uchiha were real, that her experience had been real, Sakura had still not done anything about it. She didn't want to. A part of her wanted to go back to when it was just science and logic and leave all of this other stuff behind.

Sakura put the piece of glass in the dustpan carefully, and then rose to tip the ruined glass into the rubbish bin under the desk. She wiped up the spilt water, checked for any more stray pieces of glass and then sighed when she realised she was procrastinating, again.

She sat down on her bed, picking up her notebook carefully. She'd fallen asleep in the middle of her note taking.

She hadn't gotten very far. Most of what she could find on the internet was just retellings of the stories and history she had learnt in class. Most of it was just about their military conquests, and how Konoha had prospered under their rule. But there was precious little about the warlords everyone claimed were demons.

And that was what Sakura was interested in.

She had found snippets of new information, but she wasn't sure how much of it she could trust. Especially because most of the websites dedicated to the Uchiha were seven shades of angsty teenager.

There was no mention of names, and when she had googled their names individually, she had only found a foreign actor called Itachi who had a similar last name, but he was blond and blue eyed and somehow she doubted Itachi would even want to be an actor.

Sighing, Sakura woke her laptop up. She was wide awake now and she just knew she would toss and turn all night if she tried to go back to sleep.

This time, instead of turning to the internet, Sakura went to her university's library website. If she wanted academic articles, with at least some credibility about them, then it would be the best place to start.

Inputting the word Uchiha brought up articles by the thousands, mostly historical facts, or about an artefact that had been found, but a quick scan of the results told Sakura it was more of the same. She knew most of this stuff.

She tried Uchiha myth, which didn't help much either. It seemed every student and their mother had done a paper on the Uchiha at one point or another.

Sakura scrolled, feeling a bit defeated. She didn't understand how a dynasty like the Uchiha's could have so little information attached to it- there were no names, no paintings, nothing. It was almost as if someone had purposefully wiped everything about them from the record.

Finally, she saw one promising result.

 _A Comprehensive Collection of the Myths and Legends of the Noble Families of Konoha._

Sakura tapped her fingers on her laptop, staring at the search result. The book wasn't available to read online, only at the library. She glanced at the time on her laptop.

1:29am

She could just wait and beg her parents to take her when it was morning. But she was wide awake now and her notes stared at her from the page. The synopsis of the book was too promising to ignore, and Sakura knew it would keep her awake until she was able to read it.

And it was in the Humanities library, which was open twenty four seven.

Sakura glanced at the door and then made up her mind. Her parents wouldn't know if she went out for a few hours. She would be back before they woke up.

Quickly, she made a note of the book and code on her phone, and then closed her laptop, stuffing it into the case alongside her notebook. She yanked out of her backpack and emptied the contents onto the bed. It was all things from her stay at the hospital, extra pain killers, some sealed bandages, clothes, pencils, well wishes.

She ignored the mess on her bed and packed her laptop and pencil case in carefully. After a moment, she decided to forgo her laptop charger. She wouldn't be that long. She'd be back long before the battery on her laptop died.

Sakura tucked her phone into the pocket of her hoodie and turned off the lamp in her room. She crept out into the hallway, closing the door behind her gingerly.

Her father's keys were on the kitchen counter, as they always were, and Sakura swiped them easily.

She winced when the car turned on. The sound of the engine was thunderous and Sakura half expected her mother to pop out from one of the bushes and yell at Sakura to get back in the house. But none of the lights in Koha's turned on and Sakura carefully and slowly, began to back down the drive.

She hadn't driven her parents big car for a while, more used to Ino's tiny little hatchback. It took some getting used to.

Konoha was very pretty at night. It was a weeknight, so the streets were quiet and empty, shopfronts dark and billboards flashing their ads to no one.

It made the drive to the university quick, despite the fact that Koha's house and KU were on opposite sides of Konoha. The fact that there was no one around and the lights changed quickly made the journey smooth.

The campus of her university was huge, sprawling across the plain by the bend in the Naka river. She parked nearest to the library she needed, collecting her things and getting out of the car before her nerve could fail her.

The library was bright and warm, spilling light over the grounds. The fountain burbled happily, the sound soothing to Sakura's nerves. She never felt weird about coming to the library so late. She felt at ease there, where it was cosy and warm and there were as many books as she could possible want.

Unsurprisingly, the library was empty. The semester had ended early and she doubted that anyone besides her would come here in the middle of the night to look for old history books.

She found a table and dumped her stuff, and then went looking for her book. The library was blissfully cool, and well lit and it only took Sakura a few minutes of searching up and down aisles before she found the book she was looking for.

 _A Comprehensive Collection of the Myths and Legends of the Noble Families of Konoha._

It was old and worn, and far thicker than it looked on the library website. Sakura had to balance it on her cast awkwardly, making a face at just how heavy it was. She took it back to her table and dumped it down loudly, wincing when the cover nearly flopped off.

Sitting down, Sakura pulled out her notebook and pen, opening the dusty, worn cover carefully.

 _The Uchiha – Page 300._

The book smelled musty as she flipped through the pages, and the typed font was tiny.

Looking at the sheer number of pages, Sakura was beginning to regret coming.

"Too late now…" She murmured, propping her chin on her upturned palm. She was going to find out information about the Uchiha, who they were, and exactly what the seal had done.

 **The Uchiha**

 _The Uchiha Warlords are perhaps the most famous of the ancient families who called Konoha and the Fire Country home. Unlike the Nara, Akimichi, and the Inuzuka, the Uchiha were not native inhabitants of the Fire Country, but rather immigrants, thought to be original from the Eastern continents, though the academic community is divided as to which continent that was._

 _Reports vary as to their exact arrival, though records from Sungakure indicate that trade from Konoha drastically increased around 948BC, therefore it stands to reason that the Uchiha invaded and conquered the warring families sometime before that. However, this book is not meant to be a retelling of historical fact, but rather a repository for the colourful and varied myths and legends from the Fire Country._

 _With the arrival of the Uchiha also came the arrival of new stories and new religions. This chapter explores some of those legends, though it is far from a comprehensive retelling of every variation._

 _ **Demons in the Night**_

 _When the Uchiha first invaded the fire country, over three thousand years ago, the continent was at war with itself. The other great families of Konoha (discussed in earlier chapters), many of whom went extinct with the Uchiha invasion, had been warring for generations and were weak and unable to defend themselves from the Eastern Invasion._

 _The Uchiha's military prowess was unusual for the time, and little is known about their tactics or strategy, however evidence in the Kobi region of Konoha's north suggests that they may have used chariots, mounted warriors, and hunting dogs._

 _At their head, Six Brothers (though this number varies from four to seven dependent upon the story), warlords said to be descended from the Ancients themselves. Stories tell of the shadowy horses they rode, and the horned armour that each wore into battle. The Brothers (sometimes, brothers and a sister, depending on the region) were unmatched in battle and it is said that they managed to unite the entire Fire Continent in six short years._

 _While scholars insist that the Uchiha were able to conquer and unite the warring factions through peace deals and sheer might, legend tells of a darker story. The legends tell of noble men and women slaughtered in their beds while they slept, and their sons and daughters were dragged before the Uchiha Patriarch (often referred to as Kro in the earliest legends, and Jima, in later versions), and when they left, they gibbered and wailed about red eyes and horrible visions of death-_

Sakura swallowed.

Red eyes and horrible visions of death.

Sasuke hadn't show her images of death, but he had shown her something. Was Sasuke-

She frowned, scratching it down in her notebook messily. Sasuke couldn't be the Patriarch of the Uchiha clan, she hadn't gotten that impression from him at all. In fact, if she had to guess, she would have thought Madara much more suited to the role.

Could they all show another person visions then?

They all had red eyes- Except….

Sakura shook her head and went back to reading.

 _Red eyes are a common theme among stories about the Uchiha and many depictions of them depict them with red eyes, often replete with an odd, comma shaped pattern surrounding the irises-_

Sakura stared and then turned the page hurriedly, hoping there was an example.

And there it was.

It was a faint painting on a piece of shattered pottery. The image had mostly faded away, leaving the vaguest impression of black and white, but a bright red eye stared out at her, untouched by time. And just like each of the Uchiha she had met, there were three commas around the iris.

She drew a crude copy of it as best she could, but her left hand was not very good at drawing or writing.

But she was confused now. She had never learnt anything like this in her classes at school-

Ino would know though. Ino was obsessed with the Uchiha.

Sakura had her phone in hand and message half typed out to Ino before she realised the time. Ino would be asleep, and Sakura would drive herself insane waiting for an answer from her best friend. Sagging in her chair, Sakura put her phone down.

 _Other stories tell of their unnatural strength, said to be equivalent to one hundred men and horses and most interestingly of all, their supposed immortality._

 _The Uchiha were led by the original six or seven warlords, and many account from that time insist that the Uchiha were untouched by the ravages of time. The Seibei, one of the extinct Uchiha branch families, tell a story of one such brother, who was said to be so beautiful woman would throw themselves at his feet, whose visage never changed in the time they knew him._

Sakura glanced at her notes. She'd already written down notes about the Uchiha's immortality. And she knew that to be true, after all, Madara's prison had showed her just how long they had been manipulating things.

She flipped ahead, skimming the pages but it was mostly things she already knew. The Uchihas were demon worshipping Satanists, and that was where their powers came from, or they were demons themselves.

 _The Creation Myth_

Sakura went back, narrowing her eyes.

 _The Uchiha, like many cultures, had their own version of the creation myth, and it bears many of the same hallmarks of other cultures, that is an omnipresent god, or in the Uchiha's case, a goddess, and the creation of the world and humanity through arcane means. Much of it is fragmented as much of the record of the Uchiha and their dynasty was wiped from written record after their demise._

 _According to legend, there existed a Goddess, whose very name invited dread. She was a being of pure light, but she existed in the nothingness, and over time, her heart grew lonely and desperate and from her desperation, two children were born. Magna and Acu were her pride and joy, beautiful twin girls, one with hair as dark as ink, the other with hair like fire. For a time, the Goddess' heart was filled with joy and love for her twin daughters._

 _But slowly, as her young daughters grew, her joy and love turned to jealousy and anger. For her children had grown to rival her own beauty, and where her heart was cold, theirs were full and bright. Where her name was dark and full of horrors, theirs were light and loving._

 _She grew ever more jealous when her daughters grew closer and closer and closer to each other and she could not bear the thought of them loving each other more than they loved her. So in a fit of jealous rage, she cast them out into the nothingness and began to craft successors._

 _Kro and Quili were born. Kro from his mother's cold heart, and Quili from her clever mind. Not brothers, but closer than that._

 _And again, for a time, she was happy with her children. But she warned them to never venture into the nothingness beyond their home, lest they succumb to lies and madness._

 _But soon her sons began to grow restless, and the Goddess knew they would leave her soon. So she left, to seek out another playmate for them, if only to keep them with her a little longer. But Der was adventurous, and where he went, Kro was not far behind. And when she left, Quili and Kro slipped beyond the veil that kept the nothingness from their home._

 _And into the nothingness they explored. For a time, there was nothing but darkness and emptiness, but soon Kro saw a light ahead and the two came across a small home, carved from the nothingness._

 _A dark haired woman greeted them as family, smiling with inky eyes and red lips. And behind her, a warrior woman, with red hair and a spirit so bright that even Kro, with his all-seeing eyes, had to look away._

 _It was then that the two learnt of their mother's darkness and Quili was distressed to know his sisters had languished in the darkness._

 _The Goddess returned and found her home empty and she knew they had left her. In her rage and madness, she destroyed their home and set out to reclaim her wayward sons. When she saw them with Magna and Acu however, her jealousy was too great, and the Goddess turned away from them._

 _When she returned to her corner of the nothing, the Goddess channelled her rage and grief to replace her children, this time, with ones who would never leave her. From her yearning, Illu was born, dark haired as Kro and Magna had been, but with eyes inky blue and glowing with dreams. And from her grief, Rire was born, with eyes as red as Acu's hair had been._

 _And once more, the Goddess was happy. Her sons loved her like her other children had not. They did not get on, and often time she pitted them against each other, revelling in their attention._

 _But it did not last._

 _Because Illu was gifted with Foresight and when he saw his mother for what she was, he could not stay by her side. So like his siblings before him, he fled from her._

 _The Goddess ordered Rire to kill him for his betrayal, and Rire obeyed, hunting Illu down. But Illu was good at hiding and instead of finding the inky haired dreamer, Rire instead came across a small niche carved from the nothingess._

 _In it, he found his older brother Quili. He planned to kill his older brother instead, to please the Goddess. But he could not, for Kro loomed from the shadows, and Acu stood at Quili's back, blazing with fury._

 _And in Quili's arms, a tiny babe, with his brother's eyes and a smile so sweet it warmed his heart._

 _Rin, the Daughter of the Dawn._

 _When Rire did not return, the Goddess grew worried and searched for him, and it was then that she came upon her children, cooing over the babe in Quili's arms. And the jealous Goddess was so enraged she reached out and tore and pulled at the nothingness, trying to change what was, and in doing so, awakened Chon._

 _Chon, who held the fabric of all things in his hands. Chon had no foresight, but Chon was kind and clever and he saw the child, and he saw his mother and refused to let her have his sash of all that was._

 _The Goddess' rage was so great it nearly killed her, and from it, Kaos was born, screaming and furious-_

"Sakura!"

Sakura shrieked, jumping in place and smacking her knees on the bottom of the table. She had been so absorbed in the story she hadn't even heard anyone approaching. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, blood loud in her ears.

Sasuke was standing on the other side of the table. He was dressed like a college student, and he even had a backpack slung over his shoulder. He stared at her, face blank save for the teeny, tiny smile on his lips.

Sakura gasped, hands jumping off the book as if it had burned her. For a moment she could only stare at him.

He was real.

Even dressed down in jeans and Henley, he was still stunningly good looking, his glow barely diminished at all. His eyes were dark, no trace of the red spinning triangles she had seen in the mountain, but it was unmistakably him. "You… You're here." She said.

Sasuke put the backpack down. "As are you."

Sakura thought back to the voice that had woken. It had sounded familiar, and now she knew why. "Why did you wake me up?"

"You were not listening to my warnings. I needed to get your attention." Sasuke said quietly, taking a seat opposite her. To anyone else, they probably looked like two normal university students, but Sasuke was anything but normal.

Sakura eyed him warily. "So it was you at the hospital?"

Sasuke nodded.

Sakura looked at her notebook. It was open the page about her messy notes about the Uchiha's eyes.

Sasuke saw her looking. "The Sharingan." He murmured.

Sakura looked up at him confusion and gasped when his eyes bled red and then the familiar comma shapes blurred into existence around his pupil. He blinked and his eyes turned black and red, an unsettlingly familiar red star forming in their depths.

"It is called the Sharingan." He said quietly. "The all-seeing eye."

Sakura shivered and looked away, remembering the last time his eyes had looked at her with the pointy red and black star. "Visions of death, right? That's what they do?" She said, remembering what she had read about the lords and ladies who had died at the hands of the Uchiha invasion.

"Not just death." Sasuke said, almost defensively. "The one I showed you was not of death."

Sakura looked at him sharply.

Sasuke looked away. "I cannot take it back, Sakura."

"So everything that it shows people is… hurtful then? Death and sadness-"

"You see what I want you to see." Sasuke interrupted, voice tight. He looked at her with narrow eyes. "I needed you to see something that you loved, Sakura. You would not cry for my plight, but I thought you might for those you loved. It was necessary."

"None of this was necessary." Sakura snapped, flipping her book shut.

Sasuke's lip curled up. "I told you if there was any other way, I would have done it." He looked annoyed. "But there was not. I cannot reverse what was done, even if that was what you wanted."

Sakura rubbed fiddled with her notebook. It was surreal, having a conversation with Sasuke in her university library. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend he was just another annoying guy who didn't know how to take a hint.

Hot fingers touched the backs of her fingers and Sakura jerked, pulling her hand away.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, gesturing at her cast.

Sakura thumbed the hard red plaster. "You can thank your older brother for this." She said dryly. She didn't remember much from Madara's prison, but she remembered the sharp, white hot pain that had lanced up her arm when she had fallen.

Sasuke's brows lowered. "Madara hurt you?" He demanded.

Sakura shook her head. "He scared me. I fell." She said shortly.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment. "Why red?" He asked finally.

She looked at him, confused by the question. "What?"

"Why did you pick red?"

Sakura looked down at her cast. She hadn't. Her father had picked it out. It was one of Sakura's favourite colours after all. "I like red." She said a bit lamely. "It's a nice colour. Warm and comforting- You know."

Sasuke didn't say anything and Sakura almost wanted to throw something at him again. She had forgotten just how little he spoke.

"Why did you tell me about the Sharingan?"

Sasuke looked a little surprised. "… I thought you might like to know." He said. "Kagami said you liked to read… I thought perhaps it might be interesting to you."

Sakura was oddly touched. Sasuke struck her as an intensely private sort, so the fact that he had shared something with her was very sweet. "Well… It was. This whole book is really interesting actually- I never learnt about most of this stuff in my classes- usually we just learn about the massacre and that's it. I never knew the Uchiha kept animals- dogs, a lot of sources said."

Sasuke smiled briefly. "Madara and I kept hunting hawks. They are incredibly intelligent animals- fast and strong too. I enjoyed their company. Shisui never approved though."

Sakura leaned forward. "Why?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, surprisingly human. "He thought it cruel."

"There's nothing in here about hawks-"

"It was a long time ago, Sakura." Sasuke said indulgently. "The written record is not particularly accurate."

Sakura huffed, almost offended for her book. "Well it got other things right!" She insisted defensively, "Like the Sha-Shar…"

"Sharingan."

"Sharingan." She repeated slowly. "Right?"

Sasuke ignored her. "Madara kept dogs. He enjoyed hunting with them." He told her. "I never saw the appeal, far too loud and messy. Hawks are a much better companion." He said, almost as if he was trying to convince her.

Sakura smiled at her book. "What about your sister? Was there a sister?" She asked quickly, latching onto the quick mention of a woman in the book.

Sasuke looked a little conflicted. "I had a sister… Of sorts." He said quietly.

There was something in his voice that told Sakura it was a painful story and she had to squash the urge to press him for details.

"You are studying us." Sasuke said suddenly. "Why?"

Sakura looked at her work. "Well, because I needed to know more about you- You-" Her words dried up when she remembered the real reason she had come to the library in the first place, why she hadn't just done her best to forget the Uchiha altogether.

When Sasuke met her eyes over the table, he looked guileless, innocent and completely oblivious.

Sayaka's screams rang in Sakura's ears, and she could see the way skin around Sayaka's eyes reddened, the veins in her neck standing out-

The horrible visage changed.

Sayaka was smiling, that awful, horrible smile, nose dripping blood and eyes bulging grotesquely, irises black.

Sakura was falling-

"Sakura?"

Sakura gasped, brought back down by the warm hand on her shoulder and a large, warm presence at her side. "Kakashi-"

But it wasn't Detective Hatake, it was Sasuke.

She jerked away from him, suddenly gripped by a wave of terror. "Don't touch me!" She shrieked, half falling off her chair in her haste to get away. Her hand slipped on the table, pulling her book and pencil case down onto the ground. her pens spilled everywhere with a sharp clatter, rolling across the wooden floor. "Don't- don't touch me."

Sasuke frowned, obviously confused. "What was that?" He demanded. "Sakura, what is wrong?"

Sakura swallowed, taking a step back from him. "You- Did you… Sayaka-" She had to take a breath, blinking away tears. Her back tingled and she felt hunted. "Did you hurt Sayaka, Sasuke? Was it you that…?"

Sasuke had risen from his haunches and was watching her warily. "I think you should sit down, Sakura. You are very pale-"

"Was it you?!" She demanded over him, shrill and uncontrolled. "Were you there?"

Sasuke's face blanked. "I was not-"

" _Don't_ lie to me." She said lowly. "Tell me the truth, Sasuke. _Were you there?_ "

Sasuke jerked a little, eyes widening with shock. His jaw worked, and she saw the battle on his face. Finally, "Yes." He said through clenched teeth. "I was."

Sakura stepped back from him, more hurt than she thought she had any right to be. Out of all of the Uchiha, Sasuke had at least tried to be kind to her- he hadn't just left her to flounder in the darkness of the cave, he had held her hand, walked with her, told her stories about Itachi-

She thought they might have been friends.

"Did you kill her?" She asked, voice a whisper. Her heart was loud in her ears.

Sasuke looked away. "No."

"Did you hurt her?"

Sasuke's jaw snapped shut and she saw anger flare in his eyes. She saw a muscle jumping in his jaw, the twitching of his fingers. "I did."

Sakura hugged herself, drawing her shoulders up. She had imagined Madara or Obito, but never Sasuke. "Why, Sasuke- She was in so much pain!" She begged, desperate to know. "She was- you tortured her- She was suffering- Why would you… Why would you do that?"

Sasuke looked frustrated, brow furrowed in confusion. "Why do you care?" He demanded.

Sakura took another step away. "Because you didn't need to hurt her- You don't-Shouldn't hurt anyone! She was going to jail, Sasuke, she was going to be punished- There was…"

Sasuke's hand was blazing hot as he touched her cheek. He wiped a thumb over her cheek gently, brushing away the tears that had fallen.

Sakura jerked away, swiping angrily at her eyes. "Don't touch me."

"Why are you crying for her, Sakura? She tried to kill you." Sasuke asked quietly, staring at her in confusion. His eyes searched hers, but he didn't seem angry anymore. "She hurt you. She did not want to take control of us to bring kindness on the world- She was angry, she wanted to punish everyone and everything for perceived slights-"

"She was going to prison!" Sakura shrieked. She pushed Sasuke away from her, stumbling back. "You killed her. You _tortured_ her. And for what? What did you get out of it, Sasuke? Why?!"

"Sakura-"

" _Answer me!_ "

Sasuke's face drew up in anger and confusion. He made a choking noise, knuckles turning white.

Sakura finally realised why he was acting so strangely. She had ordered him- She hadn't asked, she had demanded.

 _Sayaka had been right_.

She felt her breath stutter. She'd never actually thought…

"Why not?" Sasuke hissed through clenched teeth. "Why not kill her? She had nothing to give, and there would be no one to miss her. A thousand years, we were down there and then we are freed, this… this… _stupid child_ has the gall to order my brothers and I around, to belittle and degrade Obito. Why not kill her? Nothing of value was lost."

All thoughts of Sayaka's ramblings and whether it was true or not disappeared from Sakura's mind at Sasuke's words. He sounded so cruel and vicious, like he had enjoyed hurting Sayaka.

"She hurt you, Sakura. Tried to kill you. Why do you care-"

"Because it was cruel!" Sakura interrupted loudly, unable to believe what she was hearing, but somehow also not surprised in the slightest. How many times, _how many times_ had she told herself about how dangerous the Uchiha were?

God she really was stupid.

She wished she had something between him and her. "Go away, Sasuke." She said, squeezing her hands together to the point of pain. She so badly wanted to grab him and shake him around until he apologised. "Just- Go away."

"Sakura, I cannot- You need to listen to me, I tried to warn you, but you ignored me-"

Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes in disbelief and disgust. They _had_ been watching her. "Shut up. Just _shut up,_ Sasuke! Why should I believe you? You killed someone and for all I know, you could be trying to trick me again- because that's what you do, isn't it? Trick people." Her breath was rapid now and she knew, somewhere, that she needed to calm down. "Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Koha is not who she says she is, Sakura. She is lying to you-"

Sakura shook her head, hot, angry tears bubbling up. Her chest felt tight and achy. "Go away." She said thickly. "Go away and don't you dare lay a hand on another person on this planet- do you understand me?"

Sasuke stared at her, lips parted and expression a mixture of anger and shock. "Sakura-"

" _Go!_ "

Sasuke lifted his chin, obviously furious.

And then he was gone.

Sakura nearly collapsed, out of relief or hurt she wasn't sure. The library was silent again, but where before the lights had seemed warm and comforting, now they were accusing and eerie. Sakura felt like the walls were closing in on her and everything around her seemed too big.

She couldn't breathe-

Sakura barely made it outside before she collapsed on her knees and vomited in the garden.

The sting of acid in her throat and the pain in her stomach made Sakura burst into tears. She coughed, gasping for air but the tears made it even harder to breathe and she struggled to get air. It felt like no matter what she did, there was just no oxygen in the air.

Her chest hurt and she felt dizzy. Her heart was loud, and she could feel it pounding away in her chest as it struggled.

The feeling of not being able to breathe was terrifying- it was like she couldn't control her own body, that she was just there to watch and feel everything. The air was heavy, and it seemed like she was underwater, like she couldn't move-

" _Breathe." A voice whispered. "Slowly, my child."_

Sakura couldn't help the tears at the voice. It sounded like her mother.

She listened though, and the voice echoed in her head, warm and soothing. She forced herself to think, closed her eyes and focused on her breath.

Slowly, slowly, her heart began to slow down from its frantic pace, and slowly, the oxygen and the sound of the crickets and cicadas returned to the air.

" _There we go." The voice hummed. "Sit for a while."_

Sakura sagged tiredly, leaning on her palms and staring at the rough concrete. Her knees ached from where she had fallen on them, but she almost welcomed the pain. It helped keep her grounded. "Who…"

" _A friend." The voice said quietly. "Hush now. It is okay."_

Sakura had to blink away tears. The voice was warm and light and reminded her of all the times she had had an upset stomach and her mother had come into her room and rubbed her back or petted her hair.

She took one more deep, shuddering breath before straightening. Her mouth tasted like bile and her throat still ached, but she was no longer gasping for air. She sat for a few minutes, like the voice had suggested, trying to compose herself.

When she finally managed to muster up the courage to get up, she found that she was shaking.

" _It will pass." The voice whispered, quieter now. "Remember what I said."_

Sakura slowly went back inside and collected her things. She resolutely ignored the open tome on the table, collecting her fallen pens with a single minded focus. Once she was done, the part of her that her mother had drilled manners into demanded she put the book away, but Sakura ignored it. She wanted nothing to do with anything Uchiha, book or otherwise.

When she got outside, it seemed to have grown even hotter and in the distance, she could see clouds gathering.

A summer storm.

Sakura could only hope that it cooled things down some.

As she trekked back to the car, feeling more drained than she had in a long time, Sakura realised she was still shaking. Her hands were weak and as she reached her parents dusty car, Sakura knew she couldn't drive in her condition.

For a moment, she considered calling her father. He wouldn't yell at her, and he'd come get her not questions asked. But at the same time, Sakura wasn't sure if she could handle his disappointed silence.

She could call Ino or Naruto, and either one of them would be there as soon as they could.

Sakura sat on the curb by the car, hugging her backpack. She didn't want to see anyone right now. Her father would want answers and Ino and Naruto would just fuss over her red eyes. She felt too raw for all of that right now.

Pulling out her borrowed phone, Sakura dithered for a moment, wondering if this was an appropriate use of his number. She doubted that this was what Kakashi had meant when he had given her his card.

She dialled anyway, nearly chickening out as she put the phone up to her ear-

"Hello?"

"I'm so sorry for waking you up-"

"Sakura?!" Kakashi yelped. Sakura heard a thump. "What's happened? Are you alright?"

Sakura felt awful. She'd woken him up and probably sent him into a panic thinking she was in actual trouble. "I'm fine- Nothing- nothing's happened." She said quickly. "I just um…"

Kakashi was quiet on the end of the line.

"I'm sorry, I can call someone else-"

"I'm already here, Sakura." He interrupted. "Where are you?"

Sakura didn't know how he knew she wasn't at Koha's place. "University, outside the humanities library."

"You need me to come get you?"

"I'm sorry-"

"It's fine." He said over her. "You're safe, though?"

"Yeah." Sakura played with the zip on her backpack. "I couldn't sleep. I come here sometimes… It helps calm me down but I…" She wasn't sure why she was telling him this. He surely didn't care, and it wasn't useful in any way at all.

Kakashi didn't say anything for a little bit. "Okay." He said gently and Sakura felt a weight lift off her shoulders. there was no judgement in his voice. "Give me twenty minutes. Stay where you are."

"Okay."

She told him to look out for the dusty red car and he just laughed at her, asking how many other people lurked around libraries in the middle of the night and hung up on her.

She felt a little lighter after having talked to him. He still intimidated her a little bit, but he had calmed her down the last time she had panicked, and she trusted him.

She curled around her bag a bit more, resting her chin on her knees and waited.

* * *

"Sakura!"

Sakura looked up and Detective Hatake was walking towards her. He was in a big grey hoodie and black jeans and his hair was even messier than it usually was. He looked a bit pale and the scar over his eye seemed redder than normal. "Hi."

He sighed heavily, looking down at her, hands in his pockets. "You're a sight." He muttered, taking a seat next to her on the curb. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Really? Cause you're real pale, kid."

Sakura hugged her bag. "Bad dream."

The silver haired detective was quiet. "Back in the well?"

"The courtroom."

"Mm. I'm not a doctor, Sakura, but this isn't healthy." Kakashi said gently. "I know you. You don't want to be a burden, cause you can do it all on your own, right?"

Sakura looked at her hands guiltily. "I'm an adult."

"A very young one. You nearly died, Sakura. That screws with anyone." Kakashi said quietly. "When I got out of the army, I thought I was fine. I'd seen some shit, but everyone saw it and no one else needed help, so neither did I."

Sakura glanced at him. There was a sadness in his voice that told her it wasn't something he shared often.

"Ended up having an attack in the middle of a coffee shop when a car door slammed outside." He said, looking down. "And I was back in that goddamn desert, watching my buddy bleed out in front of me because I couldn't get the bandages out of my pocket fast enough."

Sakura swallowed. She had no idea that Kakashi had been in the army, or even seen combat.

"Mitarashi was in that coffee shop. She calmed me down and bullied me into her office the next week." Kakashi said with a snort. "She's a goddamn bulldog, the worst bedside manner you've ever seen. But she's also the best at what she's does."

"It seems so stupid though. I'm not even badly hurt." Sakura protested weakly.

"I didn't get hurt either." Kakashi said. "It's not a competition, Sakura. Call Mitarashi or I'm telling you, she'll kick your door down."

Sakura laughed. "Sounds violent."

"She's very violent. She nearly clocked Genma the first time they met. I think she has a crush on him." Kakashi said blithely. "She'd eat him alive."

They sat on the curb for a few minutes. It was peaceful, the fountain gurgling away behind them and the distant storm rumbling over the horizon.

"C'mon. We'd better get going." Kakashi said, groaning as he stood up. he held a hand out to her. "We'll get a snack on the way home."

He was treating her like a little kid, but for some reason, Sakura didn't mind so much. "Hot chocolate?"

* * *

Koharu paused as she was writing her letter to Chief Nara. Outside, the storm raged, lightning flashed, and thunder boomed. Tellingly enough, it hadn't rained, though the clouds were heavy with water. It was disgustingly humid outside because of it all.

Koharu rather thought it was all very dramatic. Then again, Sasuke had inherited his elder brother's penchant for dramatics.

"Now let's not be stupid." She said, setting aside the letter she was writing. She capped her pen with a quiet click, setting it back in the porcelain holder.

Sasuke was soaked to the bone, despite the dry storm outside. In his left hand, he held Kusanagi, which explained why he was ruining her expensive rug.

"Ah, so Shisui found it, did he?" Koharu said, pushing the piece of paper aside. Sasuke was hardly as intimidating as he pretended to be. "Can't imagine how long it took you to retrieve it, all the way down there."

"Not a particularly clever hiding spot." He snapped back, velvety voice smooth.

She saw his fist clench around the hilt and lightning crackled down the blade, filling the air with the smell of burning oxygen and ozone. "So say you." She said shortly. "What did you do with the keeper of Kirin? I can't imagine there was much left of her, it's so dark and cold down there-"

Sasuke surged forward, sword tip at her throat. " _She was at rest!_ " He snarled, voice quiet but seeming to fill the room all the same. "She suffered enough at the hands of you and yours."

"Well we must do things that we would otherwise find… distasteful." She said easily, pushing the blade away. "Didn't I just tell you not to be stupid, Sasuke? Surely even you can see how close the ice is to cracking?"

"I should tear you to pieces for what you have done."

"So why haven't you?"

Sasuke's chest heaved and she saw steam began to rise from his skin and clothes. She could feel the heat rising off his skin, even from her place across the desk from him.

Koharu saw the frustration on Sasuke's face and understood why Sakura had come home furious and pale. They had fought. More than likely, over Sayaka's death and his role in it. "Oh… Always so reckless, aren't we, Sasuke?" She said softly, taunting.

"Shut up." Sasuke growled, eyes flaring red.

"I wonder, did any of you think before you so stupidly murdered that poor, silly girl?" She asked, unable to hide her triumph. The Uchiha's own rage had crippled them. Idiots. But then, they were men. "I'd wager not, given the storm outside. She knows it was you, doesn't she?"

"I could kill you right now." Sasuke hissed. "Burn you alive as you tried to do to me."

Koharu inclined her head, amused. "You certainly could. You would have your vengeance. And then what, Sasuke?" She smiled at her desk. She had beaten them. Sakura was hers. "Sakura is not nearly as stupid as we both think… and what would she think if her dear friend, Koha, was to die, only hours after her confrontation with you, hm?"

Sasuke's face didn't pale, but his expression flickered for a moment. "I do not care what she would think. It matters not."

"I think it does." Koharu said silkily, moving out from behind her desk. Sasuke tracked her with red eyes and a scowl. "She holds your lives in her palm- if you kill me, what do you think she'll do with them?"

"She would never-"

"She already has, hasn't she?" Koharu said, putting a hand on Sasuke's chest, smiling up at him patronisingly. "She may be weak and mortal, but there is steel in her, else she would have died in that pit. You think she would step aside and allow you free reign over this planet?"

Sasuke snatched her wrist, squeezing to the point of pain. He was enraged, she could tell. But he didn't move to kill her and Koharu knew he wouldn't. Sasuke always was incredibly predictable, so straightforward and pure, there was no deceit in him and there never had been.

She saw straight through him. He cared deeply about his family, and if she was right, there was an inkling of worry for the pink haired girl caught up in all of this. Terribly sentimental and emotional, Sasuke was. It clouded his mind, though he never was one for strategy, never as clever or forethinking as any of his older brothers.

Idiot.

"She loathes you now, doesn't she?" Koharu gloated, ignoring the pain in her arm. "Go ahead, kill me, tell her who I am, all the awful things I've done. _See where it gets you_."

He didn't move.

"Go on." She goaded.

Sasuke shoved her hand away, face thunderous. The lightning outside flashed, turning the sky white for a moment.

Koharu raised her eyebrows, challenging him to act. But he didn't. And she had a good idea why. "You can't, can you? You can't even do that because she ordered you away from her side, didn't she?" Koharu cried, delighted.

The expression on his face told her all she needed to know. Sasuke and his brothers' foolishness had made her job so much easier. Sakura would never listen to them now, not when she had seen their cruelty first hand.

"If she is as smart as you say, then she will know what you are." Sasuke warned, eyes flashing deep purple for a brief second.

"Now, let's not overstate her intelligence." Koharu said indulgently. "She may be clever for a mortal, but she is just that, mortal. And they are so very easy to manipulate."

Sasuke sneered at her. "Maybe. But she survived all of the trials you created, survived the broken girl who tried to kill her. She will survive you." His lips curled up in a smile. "She might be confused now, but as you said there is steel in her."

Koharu could feel the menace rolling off him as he leaned forward.

"And what happens to you when she finds that steel, Koharu? You think there will be anything between you and I when that happens?" He demanded, the heat of his skin nearly unbearable when coupled with the pervasive humidity.

Koharu slapped him. " _Do not threaten me_. I'll kill her before she gets the chance-"

"You will never lay a hand on her." Sasuke promised, cheek reddening. Koharu could see the hatred for her in his eyes, the way he was restraining himself from hurting her. "She may hate me, but I am honour bound to keep her safe."

"You don't have any honour!" Koharu spat but it didn't matter because Sasuke was already gone.

* * *

Day 28

"And if you need anything, you can always call." Koha said warmly, hand on Sakura's arm through the open door of the car. By the boot, Sakura could hear Ino and Naruto arguing over the placement of their luggage. "I'll always be here for you, my girl."

"Thank you." Sakura said earnestly. "Seriously- You didn't have to do all of this for us."

"Oh nonsense, of course I did." Koha said with a light laugh. She smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. "How could I ignore what happened?

"I'm sitting next to Sakura!"

"No, you can't sit in the middle because you take up so much goddamn room!" Ino hissed back. "I'm in the middle. Sakura doesn't want your sweatiness next to her."

Koha pressed her lips together in fond disapproval as Ino and Naruto jabbered at each other loudly on the other side of the car. "That boy never changes. I remember when he was little, he used to argue with anything and everything! Argued with the Capitol House cat once when it scratched him."

The boot of the car slammed shut and Sakura's father chastised Ino and Naruto playfully before shooing them into the backseat next to Sakura. Sakura's mother hurried down the front steps of Koha's house, a cooler in one hand, and a basket in the other.

"Why aren't you two in the car already! We've been ready to go for twenty minutes, hurry up!" She said impatiently, waving at them. "Naruto hold this- Kizashi, what are you doing? We're going to get stuck in traffic at this rate!"

"Oh calm down, Mebuki, look at this seedling- isn't it beautiful, I've never seen such a pale stem before."

Koha sighed fondly. "If you ever need a break from them all, you're always welcome to stay with me. This old house is so big, it could do with some company."

Sakura appreciated it. Sometimes, her friends and family got to be a bit much. And Koha never asked her hard questions or pushed her. She was just a quiet comfort. "I'd like that."

"Naruto, I said I'm in the middle-"

"Enough! Naruto, you're behind me, Ino in the middle- Kizashi, leave the damn flower!" Mebuki snapped, ushering everyone towards the car. "Good lord, it's like herding cats!" She said to no one in particular.

Koha laughed and patted Sakura's arm one last time before closing the door with a firm thump. Sakura wound the window down as Ino clambered in next to her and Naruto slammed the door on his side.

"Now you all behave for Kizashi and Mebuki, you hear me?" Koha said sternly. "That goes double for you, Naruto. I know what you're like."

"Aw c'mon, old lady Koha!"

"Sakura will this go by your feet?" Sakura's mother asked, turning around and drawing Sakura's attention from the serene dark haired woman by the window.

"Mama, what is-" Sakura blinked, peeking at the cooler as her mother handed it to Ino. "We don't need food, it's like a three hour car ride!"

"If I don't bring it, your father will want to stop at every petrol station we drive past." Her mother said, rolling her eyes. She turned away, shouting at her father to leave the plant alone and get in the car and start the AC.

Sakura and Ino managed to tuck the cooler under her feet and Ino smiled at Sakura. "Your parents are ridiculous." She murmured.

Sakura never got an chance to answer because her father popped up by her open window and reaching through it, dumped a handful of soil and a tiny, delicate seedling into her hands. "Here, hold this bun-"

"Dad-"

"Don't tell your mother!" He hissed before tearing away to hop in the front seat. "Alright, I'm ready to go now!"

"It's about time. Turn the engine on, its so hot!" Her mother complained. "You got everything?" She asked, turning around to look at them. Sakura hid the seedling behind the jacket she had over her legs to protect her from the sun.

"Yeah-"

"Bathroom?"

"They're not babies, Mebuki, besides we can always stop and get a snack!" Her father boomed excitedly, starting the car.

"No snacks! You know you're not supposed to eat junk food!"

They all waved goodbye to Koha, who was standing in the courtyard, under the shady tree. As they finally got onto the road, Ino dug around in her bag and pulled out a small plastic container for Sakura to put the seedling in.

"What is with your dad and plants?" Ino giggled quietly as Naruto attempted to drown the poor thing with his water bottle. "Naruto, that's enough!"

"It's really hot, what if it dies!"

"It's not going to die!" Ino hissed.

Sakura shoved the water bottle away and took the seedling. "Stop, all the jostling isn't good for it." She said lowly. "I'll plant it when we get home. It'll be okay for a few hours, stop worrying."

Ino huffed and dug around in her bag again, pulling out her laptop.

Sakura looked out the window as Ino and Naruto began to talk about which movies they wanted to watch on the ride home.

It felt nice to be going home. Home was safe. There were no monsters at her parents house, and Ino and Naruto were coming too, and nothing could hurt Sakura when her friends were around. And she'd get to see Bentley too- He'd probably be so excited to have all his friends back again.

They turned a corner and Sakura saw her university, sprawling out across the bend in the river, all the way on the other side of the city. The river was especially beautiful today, glittering in the sunlight.

Sakura remembered her confrontation with Sasuke.

"You can't get better unless you confront it." Kakashi had said as he had taken her home that night.

"Wait!" Sakura cried. Her father made a strangled noise, obviously startled and slammed on the breaks. Everyone one in the car jolted and Ino nearly dropped her laptop. "We can't leave yet!"

"What do you mean we can't leave yet, we're in the car-" Her mother said loudly, turning around to glare at Sakura impatiently. "You said you had everything- I told you to check you had packed everything!"

"We gotta go to the library, there's a book I have to get out-"

Everyone in the car groaned and Naruto leaned around Ino to stare at her incredulously.

Sakura pouted at them all, offended. "What?" She demanded.

"We're on holiday, Sakura, you're not supposed to get books out from the library!" Naruto crowed indignantly. "C'mon, can't it wait until semester starts again?"

"That's in three months, Naruto!"

"It's not that long-"

Sakura leaned around the drivers seat, smiling at her father. "Dad, please, c'mon, it'll be quick cause there'll be no traffic over at the uni."

"Oh what can it hurt, Mebuki?"

"If we hit traffic on the way home, no whinging about how hungry you are!"

* * *

There is a callback in here. See if you can find it. Kek.

Also, yay, Kakashi's back. Originally, was gonna be Genma, but I'd already started the thing with Kakashi comforting Sakura earlier. He and Genma will appear again. They still have a role. It is known.

As I said in my AN at the top, I wanted Sakura to be really hurt by Sasuke's actions, moreso than the others, because she genuinely thinks he's her friend. If you remember, Sasuke was the only one to stay with her when all the others just like, up and left. So that's why she's so angry. Just cause it hurts when someone isn't what you thought.

Anyway, this was meant to have a few other scenes in it, but then it was like 20k long and well, henny, ain't no one got time for that.


	14. Day 31: Fabricated

Hullo.

Uh… no spoilers but totally spoilers, but I would uh… pay attention to how I describe people, like the words I use and stuff. COUGHS LOUDLY.

Also, to the person who commented as a guest, I couldn't respond to you privately, so unfortunately I have to do it here. I'm not calling you out or anything, but I do want to explain my decisions for last chapter. So, you got a bit annoyed with how I portrayed Sasuke, because Koharu calls him stupid, and you said that Sasuke can't be stupid because he's really good at improvising in battle.

So. Two reasons for Sasuke's characterisation.

1\. It's in character for Koharu to be a bitch. She talks about Sakura the same way, and she also has a rather derogatory tone when she talks about _Madara_. Her being condescending and thinking Sasuke is stupid is well within the bounds of her character - because she thinks everyone is beneath her and dumber than she is. Hubris.

2\. Sasuke is very intelligent, there's no mistaking that. But Koharu says that Sasuke lacked foresight - which is a different way of being intelligent. Sasuke is second to maybe Shikamaru in improvisation, but he's not so great at looking ahead to see how his actions might affect others, in this case, himself and Sakura. That's canon - Kishimoto says that himself.

There is also an explanation for Sasuke's actions in this chapter. I based what Sasuke did and his motivations behind it on his character - a pure, straightforward sort of guy, who genuinely has the best intentions, even if he doesn't always show it.

I know its not what you wanted me to say, but it's not out of character for Sasuke to be reckless. He is very smart, but as a teenager, he is very much ruled by his emotions.

Anyway, I do hope that's not offensive or upsetting to you in any way, I just wanted to explain why I did what I did.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 14

Day 31: Fabricated

Sakura toyed with the small grey pebble in her hand. It didn't glow anymore, back to being just a normal rock. She stared at with hard eyes and then looked up at the book still lying open on her desk.

She had borrowed it from the library before leaving Konoha. As much as she hated Sayaka for everything she had done, Sakura wasn't an idiot. If the Uchiha were bold enough to kill Sayaka in broad daylight, what else would they do?

Mind made up, she slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, sliding the rock into the pocket of her shorts as she did so.

Bentley lifted his head, staring at her curiously from his place in the mess of blankets and pillows. His ears pricked up, tongue lolling out.

"It's okay, boy." She whispered. "You just stay here."

But because it was her dog, he ignored her completely, jumping down off the bed after her and slipping out the door before she could close it.

Sakura looked down at him. "No buddy, you stay here, okay?"

He sat down obediently, and Sakura petted his head a few times. No doubt he would go nose open her parents door and sleep in their room. After giving him a few more pats, Sakura turned and crept down the hallway quietly, making sure to be extra careful when she passed the closed doors of the guest bedrooms, lest she wake Ino or Naruto.

She heard Bentley's nails on the tiles and spun around.

Her disobedient pup sat down quickly, pretending he hadn't moved and refusing to meet her eyes.

"No." She whispered. "Stay."

He whined, tail thumping on the floor, and feet tapping impatiently on the ground.

"Stay Bentley." She ordered and gave him a stern look. He huffed impatiently at her and lay down, head on his crossed paws. "Good boy. I'll be right back, okay?"

Her dog ignored her, obviously offended she had decided to leave him behind and his grumpy expression made Sakura smile despite her nervousness. Her dog was too smart for his own good sometimes.

She pulled on a pair of gumboots lying by the backdoor, looking out over the rolling fields of her parents farmstead. One of their neighbours had been kind enough to look after their animals and keep the farm running while Sakura's parents had been away.

The night air was cool, and the full moon hung overhead, so bright Sakura didn't need her phone to light the way. The inky blue sky, lit up with stars, and the green of the grass reminded her of Itachi's field, though the real world was so much better in every way.

There was a nice breeze as Sakura set off for the block of fruit trees her father had planted for her when she was younger. She cut across one of the fields set aside to be rested, a meandering track cutting through the long grass from all the times she and her family had walked it.

It was a nice walk, but Sakura couldn't help the churning feeling in her stomach. She had been reading the history book since she got home, and while she had learnt more about their history in Konoha, it still wasn't enough and it wasn't what she needed to know.

She needed to know what they wanted.

Because if it was more of what they had done to Sayaka, then that, Sakura couldn't stand for.

Sakura jumped, heart leaping into gear when there was a rustle in the grass behind her. Normally, rustling in grass wouldn't make her nervous, but doing what she was, all she could think about was grasping darkness creeping out of the grass-

A sheepish looking Bentley scuttled out of the long grass on the edge of the track, head low to the ground.

"Dammit, Bentley!" She scolded, sagging in relief and putting her hands on her hips. "How'd you get out?!"

Bentley trotting towards her guiltily. He looked up at her worriedly, the brown spots over his eyebrows furrowed in a way only dogs could pull off. His tail wagged slowly, and Sakura sighed at the pitiful puppy dog eyes he was giving her.

"Oh, you idiot." She said fondly, crouching down to scratch his velvety soft ears. "I told you to stay." She scolded gently, stroking his head.

Bentley crowded close, nearly knocking her over in his attempt to lick her face. She stroked him for a moment, fending off his more exuberant attempts to lick her and then stood up again.

Sakura started walking again, Bentley trotting along happily at her side, tail tall and jaunty. As they walked through the field, he would often wander off, following his nose, but he always hurried back to Sakura soon enough.

"Oh Bentley… I wish none of this had happened." Sakura murmured, thighs and calves aching as she started up the long, gradual hill that led her towards the fruit trees. "Be a lot easier."

Her faithful dog looked up at her with big brown eyes. He had stuck by her side ever since she had gotten home, bundling up close to her everywhere she went and more often than not, getting underfoot in his desire to stay with her. He hadn't liked her cast at all, gnawing on it grumpily and batting at it whenever he thought she wasn't looking.

Bentley trotted ahead of her, investigating a patch of grass as Sakura climbed over the gate to the block of trees.

The trees were tall, looming and dark above her.

"C'mon buddy." She called to Bentley, walking off without turning to check if he was following her. He would.

She walked through the rows of trees, aiming for the back corner. It was the furthest point from the house and Sakura had picked it deliberately. She didn't want to drag her friends or family into this, and she intended to keep the Uchiha as far away from them as possible.

Suddenly Bentley barked.

Sakura turned around. "What is it-" She smiled, giggling a little when she saw him jumping into the air, snapping his jaws at a moth. "Bentley, haven't you learned? You're too-"

But he was gone, chasing after the moth, tail wagging furiously.

Sakura tipped her head, looking after him as he raced over grass and dirt, chasing his moth. "Bentley!" She called.

"Strong prey drive."

Sakura jumped, spinning around, heart pounding.

Madara smiled at her, but it wasn't a nice smile. "I had imagined something more delicate for you… Like a rabbit." He said and Sakura knew there was an insult somewhere in there, but she was too shocked at his sudden appearance to puzzle it out.

"Really." She said shortly, trying not to rise to the bait. She ignored him, looking around surreptitiously for the others.

"They are not here." Madara said, obviously guessing what she was doing. He sounded almost offended by her lack of reaction to his insult. "Why have you called us here?" He demanded.

And it was then that Sakura heard the very subtle edge of protectiveness to his tone. His face was blank when she looked up at him, and his arms were loose by his sides, relaxed and easy. But she had heard it.

He was worried.

"I need to talk to you." She said, lifting her chin. "All of you."

"We are not pets to be called at a whim-"

There was a high pitched, wary bark from behind her. Sakura turned around, heart leaping as she saw Bentley standing to attention a little ways behind her. His ears were pricked up for once, eyes bright and alert as he eyed Madara warily.

"Speaking of…"

"You leave him alone!" Sakura hissed furiously, spinning around. "Bentley, go home boy!" She called, looking over her shoulder at her silly pup. No doubt he thought she was in trouble. But he was just a dog, nothing compared to whatever it was Madara was.

She didn't want to think about what Madara might do if Bentley rushed at him.

Bentley ignored her completely, taking a few quick steps forward, obviously confused by the tall man at her back. He ducked his head, tail straight up in the air as he eyed them both.

"Bentley!" She hissed, hurrying towards him. Of all the times for him decide to get an attitude with her, and it was now. Her dog often disregarded other commands, refusing to shake and roll over unless he could see the treat, but he never ignored one of her commands to go home. "Bentley, go home."

"You think so little of me that I would hurt an animal?" Madara asked from behind her, voice cutting and harsh in the night.

Bentley barked again and his tail wagged slowly, cautiously.

And just before Sakura could grab him, he was off like a shot, racing towards Madara.

"Bentley!" Sakura cried, lunging for her stupid, stupid dog. She missed though and ended up tripping over him, falling to her hands and knees in the grass. She heard Bentley yip and scrambled up, terrified for her precious pup.

But instead of her dog attacking Madara, he dog simply bounced around Madara excitedly, tail wagging furiously and eyes bright with excitement. He yipped excitedly, and then jumped up, bracing his front paws on Madara's stomach, tail wagging so hard it shook his whole body.

Sakura stood up slowly, not quite sure what she was seeing.

Bentley barked again and Madara reached down, ruffling his ears affectionately.

Sakura stared. "Bentley…?"

Bentley leaned into the scratches, looking up at Madara with big, bright eyes, obviously delighted to have a new friend. Madara leaned down, rubbing Bentley's back, saying something to her dog in that odd, unfamiliar language of his.

It was completely at odds for what she knew about Madara. He was patting her dog gently, fondly even-

Her stupid dog dropped down and then flopped onto his back at Madara's feet, begging for a tummy rub.

Sakura hurried forward, confused at what had just happened, but not liking it in the slightest. Bentley was not supposed to like Madara- weren't dogs supposed to sense when someone was a threat?

"Enough, Bentley!" Sakura snapped, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him upright. She spared a quick glare at Madara and was infuriated even more by the amused look in his eyes. She dragged Bentley away, even as her dog strained and whined to go back to Madara's side. "Enough!"

Bentley looked up at her with giant eyes, confused and hurt, but sat down anyway.

"Why did you do that? He clearly likes me."

"Leave my dog alone." Sakura warned him, crouching down to fix Bentley's collar and stroke his head a few times. She refused to look at Madara, almost hurt by Bentley's complete disregard for Madara's violent, dangerous nature. He wasn't supposed to like Madara!

"He came to me." Madara said and Sakura saw him crouch down out of the corner of her eye. He tilted his head, examining Bentley with narrow eyes. "He's strong. Fast. He would make a good hunting partner."

Sakura stood up suddenly. "He is not a hunting dog. He doesn't kill thing- well moths but…" She caught the gleam of laughter in Madara's eye and realised he had purposefully goaded her. "Where are the others? Are they going to come?"

Madara rose as well, graceful and lithe despite his bulk. "Did you not order Sasuke away from you?" He asked, deep voice turning dark.

Sakura refused to let him intimidate her. "He killed someone." She said defensively. " _You_ killed someone."

"Hardly undeserving." Madara said easily, confirming her suspicions that he had been there.

"Maybe she was. I'm not here to debate the ethics of capital punishment with you." Sakura said lowly. "But where does it stop? It was only one person this time, but what about next time? Two, three, four- maybe a war?" She accused.

Madara's eye twitched. "We have had this discussion-"

"And my mind hasn't changed." Sakura interrupted him. She took a tiny bit of vindictive pride in the way her constant interruptions and dismissals of his words made his eye twitch. "You and your brothers, you're dangerous. And even if, _if_ , Sayaka deserved what happened to her, what if next time the person you kill doesn't?"

Madara huffed at her, eyes narrow in something not quite readable. His eyes darted away for a just a moment, a fleeting expression of consideration on his face.

Finally though, he sighed, the sound heavy and irritated. He glanced at Bentley, still sitting obediently at her feet and with a sound that sounded like falling water, called to him.

Bentley jumped up and trotted after Madara excitedly, looking up at him adoringly.

Sakura stared after him, scowling.

"Well?" Madara demanded, looking at her over his shoulder imperiously. "Are you coming or not?"

Sakura stalked through the long grass, glaring at her traitor of a pet. A tiny part of her didn't want to admit she was a little bit jealous at just how quickly Bentley had taken to Madara, following his commands, jumping up on him. For a long time, Bentley had been Sakura's only close friend in the small town her parent's farm was in, and to see him leaping all over Madara stung a little bit.

Madara was leading her towards the middle of the block of trees. He didn't make any noise at all, but his feet left depressions in the grass, just like hers did. She wondered if that was just because he wasn't human, or because of some sort of training.

The walk was easy, the night cool and a welcome change from the heat.

Sakura glanced at Madara, wondering at the heavy coat. As she opened her mouth to ask him about it, she was distracted by the sight of the grass ahead. Instead of the deep, lush green, this grass looked like it had been bleached, almost glowing the moonlight.

The tree further into the grass had turned the same colour, an ethereal white colour, that looked more silver than anything.

Sakura pushed past Madara curiously, looking up at the leaves in awe. They were glittering gold, stretching towards the moon and swaying in a way that seemed just a little too… aware, to be natural.

Behind her, Madara muttered something under his breath in that language of his. It didn't sound particularly polite.

"What… is this?" Sakura asked, reaching out to touch the tree trunk carefully. The bark felt exactly the same under her fingers, smooth and cool. She pulled her fingers away, expecting to see residue from the white, but there was nothing at all.

"Do you like it?"

Sakura looked past the tree.

Kagami waved at her. He didn't look tired or sad anymore. Now his eyes were bright with cheer and there was that same, gentle smile she remembered on his lips. "I thought… After all you had done for us, you ought to see something beautiful."

Sakura looked up at the leaves. "It is really pretty- does it hurt the tree?"

Bentley brushed past her leg, investigating the tree curiously, snuffling at the roots and then sneezing in approval.

"No." Kagami said. He was dressed more casually and far more fashionably than Madara's stiff jacket and awkwardly hemmed pants. He looked completely at ease in the shirt and jeans, a small dark scarf wrapped around his neck messily. "It just bears a different colour is all."

Sakura stepped over the irrigation line.

Kagami reached up, nowhere close to touching the lowest branch, but when he lowered his hand to show her, there was a small golden leaf in his palm. "Come, Itachi and Obito are waiting." He murmured, tipping it into her hand.

Sakura didn't take his offered hand, remembering the last time she had, far too clearly. Kagami just gave her a tiny smile and simply walked by her side instead. Much like Madara, he moved soundlessly, though his walk was gentle as opposed to Madara's powerful stalk. "What about Shisui?" She asked, peering through the trees.

Whatever Kagami had done to the trees, it hadn't been just the one. In what appeared to be a rough circle, the trees had all turned a ghostly white, though their leaves were never the same gold as the first. Purple, translucent, pearly white, opalescent.

"Mm…" Kagami shook his head at the mention of his taller doppelganger. "Shisui tends to surface only when it strikes his fancy. He is… wily at the best of times, unreliable at the worst." He said, voice fond despite the insult.

Sakura didn't ask about Sasuke. She doubted he would be there. The storm that had raged for a day and a half after she had turned him away had been a very clear message about just how angry she had made him. But at the same time, she didn't know whether she wanted to see him or not. She had really thought he would be better than Madara.

"You cut your hair." Kagami commented, reaching up, but not quite touching the short strands.

Sakura fingered the ends of her hair pensively. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the short hair style. She still wasn't sure if it suited her. Ino insisted that it did, but Sakura wasn't sure if that was just because she was trying to make Sakura feel better. "Well… The doctors had to cut it away to get to the cut on my head." She said, touching the slightly raised cut on the back of her head.

It was mostly healed now, but it was still somewhat tender to the touch, slowing closing over into a long scar. When it finished healing, it would be barely visible, but Sakura just knew she wouldn't be able to leave it alone.

"Doctors? Like you?" Kagami asked, eyes lighting up as they picked their way through the trees.

Sakura was surprised he even remembered. "I'm not a doctor." She laughed. "Well, not yet, I'm still studying-"

Behind them, Bentley barked loudly, and Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see him trying to entice Madara into playing with him. Her traitorous pup had dropped into a bow, tail wagging excitedly and a stick at Madara's feet.

She glowered. "Why does he like him so much?" She grumbled.

Kagami laughed, the sound light and playful. "Madara always had a way with dogs-"

Bentley barked again, louder and more urgent when Madara walked straight past, ignoring the offered stick.

Sakura glared at the tall man, but he ignored her completely, apparently unphased.

She picked up the stick Bentley had collected and threw it for him. Her dog yipped and took off into the trees after, almost a blur.

"Come, we can play later." Kagami said, taking her hand. Unlike Sasuke, whose hands were always blazing hot, almost to the point of being uncomfortable, Kagami's hands were soft and dry. It felt just like a human's hand. "Madara will complain." He whispered to her as they followed after Madara's broad shouldered back.

Madara twitched, glaring over his shoulder at them.

Kagami smiled innocently. "He likes to complain." He told Sakura quietly, as soon as Madara had continued walking.

Sakura snorted, just as Bentley came running back through the trees. The white glow off the trunks made the silver on his back and muzzle glint and gleam, stick clamped in his jaws.

He ignored Sakura and Kagami, trotting after Madara contentedly, tail waving.

Finally the planted trees opened up into a rough clearing, one Sakura knew hadn't been there before. She had been there when her father had planted the trees in long, straight rows.

Now, there was a fallen tree trunk, covered with more white and gold moss, and in front of it, a perfectly circular pool of water that looked silver and mirror like in the moonlight. On the log, Obito was sitting, hunched over something in his hands. Itachi and Madara were standing by the pool, heads bowed as they talked quietly.

"How did you do this?" Sakura asked, looking around curiously.

Kagami smiled mysteriously. "Things are always as I want them." He said cryptically.

Sakura gave him a flat stare. "Again with the riddle speak." She muttered. "What does that mean?"

She never got an answer because Bentley, standing in the middle of the clearing, stick at his feet, barked loudly, hackles raised and tail between his legs. His ears were flat against his skull and Sakura was confused and slightly afraid when she heard him start to growl from somewhere deep in his chest.

"Beetle!" She cried, rushing over to him. "Bentley, stop that-"

Bentley whined at her, not taking his eyes off Itachi and Madara. He circled around her warily, nudging her back with each pass by her knees.

He had only done that once before, when there had been a strange man on their property when she and Ino were exploring a few years ago. Back then, Sakura had quickly figured out something was wrong with the man, and that Bentley was protecting her. But she didn't see why he had suddenly sprung into protectiveness now.

He had been all over Madara just seconds ago-

She looked up.

Itachi looked away, and she caught a flash of frustration on his face.

Was Bentley afraid of Itachi…?

She crouched down next to her silly dog, smoothing a hand over his head. "Hey, that's enough." She whispered, slightly bewildered. It was all backwards. Why would Bentley be afraid of Itachi and not Madara? "Bentley, enough!"

He broke off his staring contest with Itachi across the clearing, head dipping as he clustered closer to her. He made an odd, high pitched whining noise, ears still flat and the whites of his eyes showing. Even though he wasn't growling anymore, his hackles were still pricked up.

Sakura pulled her dog away from Itachi and Madara, glancing at Kagami for an explanation, but his face was strangely blank and emotionless.

Bentley strained against her, pulling hard but eventually, she got him out of the clearing and behind a tree, where the Uchiha couldn't see them. He was tense under her hands, and as soon as Itachi was out of sight, he pushed up against her, licking at her face.

"Ah- Bentley-" Sakura pushed him away, wrinkling her nose at the dog spit. "What's gotten into you?" She asked, smoothing her hands over his head and back. "Huh? You shouldn't be growling at Itachi, you should be growling at Madara-"

In the clearing, she heard someone laugh, melodic and resonant.

Sakura sighed, smooshing Bentley's handsome face between her hands. He sat down, headbutting her in the chin. "I appreciate you coming with me boy, but I gotta do this. And I can't do that if you're growling and carrying on."

He whined, feet tapping impatiently.

Sakura groped around on the ground, finding a stick easily enough. It glowed white in the light of the tree she was crouched by, stripped bare of leaves. "You wanna play, boy?" She asked, waving it back and forth.

Bentley's ears pricked up.

Smart as her dog was, he was so easy to distract.

Sakura hurled the stick as hard as she could through the trees. If it went far enough, Bentley might get bored or find another moth to chase.

She didn't want him to get hurt, which was why she hadn't wanted him coming in the first place. Her sweet dog was overprotective and stupid, and she loved him too much to force him to sit quietly and tolerate whatever it was he hated about Itachi.

Bentley took off in a blur of grey and black, tail wagging furiously.

She brushed off her thighs, standing up. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and walked back into the clearing.

As she did, Madara clicked his tongue, saying something that sounded like falling rocks.

The air around them stilled, growing heavy. Sakura's ears popped and it felt hot and sticky. For a moment, everything was mute and then with one last heavy pulse, everything was back to normal.

Sakura looked up, curious about what had just happened.

The leaves above them were completely still. Unnaturally so.

He couldn't have…

Sakura eyed Madara warily.

He raised an eyebrow, obviously uninterested in her scrutiny or giving her an explanation for whatever it was he had done, and Sakura had too much pride to ask.

"You look well." Itachi said, somewhat awkwardly. He shuffled around the pond, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at her. "I had hoped you might be uninjured… but…"

Sakura couldn't help but smile back. Itachi was sweet, and she don't think she would have minded so much if it was only him she had released. "Well, alive is a pretty good consolation prize." She joked, waving her cast around. "Besides, they cancelled my finals so it's not like I need my hand for anything anyway."

They all stared at her.

Sakura blinked. "Uh…"

"Final what?" Obito asked, eyebrows furrowed with thought.

"No, no, _finals_." Sakura said, stressing the 's'. "It's just what we call our last exams for the year- you know, the big ones that count for half your grade or more…" She trailed off awkwardly because they would have no idea what she was talking about. "Never mind."

"It's a test?" Kagami questioned.

"Yes- Look, it'll take forever to explain." Sakura said quickly. Her head hurt a little bit when she thought about trying to explain the intricacies of university to them. "It was a bad joke anyway. That's not what I came- That's not why I asked you to come here." She said.

"Yes." Madara said, cutting and cool. "Why did you call us?" He asked, silky smooth. It did nothing to hide the very obvious irritation in his posture and voice.

Sakura ignored the urge to flip him off. She fiddled her pocket, where she could feel the rock, seemingly heavier than ever. "I need to know what you want." She said firmly, looking them all in the eyes. "Sayaka wanted for you for power… Now that's she gone, what… what do you want?"

No one said anything and the clearing was heavy with tension.

"Because Sayaka's death aside… Just letting you out of your prisons wreaked havoc on Konoha. Earthquakes despite us not being on a fault line, flooding, electrical storms, power outages, animals dropping dead- _the mountain splitting in two_." She took a ragged breath. "If that's what happens when you just get let out, then what happens when you have nothing holding you back?"

Itachi and Kagami exchanged glances. Madara's flat stare didn't waver for a moment.

"Peace." Obito said finally, surprising Sakura.

He gave her a small smile, slipping whatever it was he had been holding, into his pocket.

Sakura didn't return it. "Forgive me, if I don't believe that." She said flatly. "If you wanted peace, would you have been locked up in the first place?"

"You know very little of the things of which you speak." Madara said lowly. He shifted his weight back. "We wanted peace and our… compatriots did not. As you saw, we lost that particular argument. While our presence may be destructive in nature, we do want peace."

"From humanity?" Sakura asked warily, remembering Obito's hatred of humans, Madara's intense condescension, even Shisui's sarcastic patronising.

"If it comes to it." Madara said.

Sakura didn't appreciate the deliberately vague answer. "So what does that mean?" She demanded. "Are you going to… do more of what you did in Konoha to achieve that peace?" She asked, looking between them, but focusing mainly on Itachi. He had been kindest to her, had tried to help her.

He pressed his lips together.

The silence was telling.

Sakura folded her arms. "Well I guess if you're not going to tell me, then it doesn't really matter." She shook her head. "All of you are dangerous- You don't get to play with people's lives, god or not. We aren't playthings and we did just fine for a thousand years without you."

"And what will you do with us then?" Itachi asked, wary. There was an air of tiredness about him. And unlike his brothers, he still looked pale and tired.

"I don't really want anything to do with any of you." Sakura admitted quietly. She spread her arms wide, at the beautiful clearing. As pretty and ethereal as it was, it wasn't natural, and her brain was struggling to come up with a logical conclusion for it all. "I never wanted any of this- I just wanted to… Help people."

None of the gathered Uchiha said anything. Obito looked at her steadily, expression pained.

Sakura sighed. "I just want to be left alone, to be honest. I was happy before all this happened, you know." There was some hesitation hindering her words. She almost didn't want to hurt their feelings. "I really just want you to leave me alone. I'd like to forget this happened altogether, but I don't think I can, in good conscience."

"Understandable." Kagami said softly. For some reason, he looked a little let down. He gave her a smile, but his eyes didn't crinkle. "You didn't ask for this."

"So what then?" Obito demanded, eyes narrow. The scarring on his face looked less red in the silvery glow coming off the trees and grass. "Where does that leave us?"

Sakura fiddled with her hands. "I don't know. I guess… You can do whatever you'd like. But… You can't hurt people- no more killing, no wars, no hurting anyone. None of it. Do anything else, but leave people alone."

"Sakura." Madara called, folding his arms, tone deceptively calm. "Is that an order?"

Sakura met his gaze head on. "It is."

Obito's expression was incredulous and almost hurt as he stared at her. "You want us to… to…" He spluttered. He looked at Madara, and then Itachi, as if looking for help. "Rin died for your kind and I promised that I would avenge her, and make her death right-"

"No!" Sakura cried. "Obito, we talked about this- You can't hurt anyone!"

"Why do you care so much!?" He demanded, almost pleading with her. "One of them tried to kill you- they slaughter each other in droves, desecrate sacred monuments, pollute and kill and maim and you want us to sit by and do nothing to curb it!?"

"Yes!" Sakura insisted. "There are good people that would get caught up in the crossfire-" She looked at Madara. "You would know, wouldn't you?"

He recoiled but didn't answer and that was enough for Sakura.

"Innocent people, good people, that you might hurt in your quest for… whatever kind of peace you're pursuing!" Sakura shook her head. "Rin's death was wrong, and I can't apologise for it… But are you really going to punish everyone for something that happened so long ago? They didn't know her, they didn't kill her-"

"And yet they still disrespect her memory!" Obito spat, eyes turning red with anger.

"What?" Sakura asked, confused. She had never heard of Rin before meeting the Uchiha and she struggled to think of any shrine or temple where people might go to visit. "I don't…"

Obito cracked his neck. "Her garden!" He sneered. "I built it with my hands, collected her plants and nurtured them, I-"

"Obito, stop!" Kagami cried, hurrying over to his brother. "Stop!"

Obito shoved him away violently, and Sakura was shocked to see him brushing Kagami aside like that, so callously and cruelly. "I tried so hard to make it beautiful, just for her, and I cared for it like she did and in my absence you and your kind managed to destroy it! You took and you violated the last remaining memory of her!"

"Obito!" Itachi snapped, grabbing his shoulder. "That's _enough_!"

"What did you do?" Sakura asked, a cold feeling settling in her stomach.

Obito was breathing heavily and he sneered at her, turning away with a choked sob.

Itachi grabbed his shoulder. "Enough!" He said, brow furrowing in worry.

"Obito, what did you do?!" Sakura demanded, unable to keep her voice from rising in panic. She looked at Kagami for an explanation. They were hiding something from her, and she had a very sick feeling she knew what it was. "You… You didn't…"

No one answered her.

Sakura took a deep breath. She didn't want to know, but at the same time, she knew it would kill her inside if she didn't. "How many?" She asked Kagami, seeing as Obito didn't look like he wanted to speak anytime soon.

"… Three." It was Madara who answered, not Kagami. He was blank and emotionless when she looked at him, and she got no reaction from him whatsoever.

Sakura stepped away from them. "Never again, you hear me? You don't hurt or kill another person, _ever_."

Obito spun around, incensed.

Sakura flinched but he didn't say anything to her, instead, he just disappeared in a whirl of cutting, acrid wind, tearing leaves from the trees and showering the clearing with them.

Kagami sighed, eyes closing and brow lowering, obviously upset. He looked at Madara, and then at Sakura.

Sakura had had enough of them, of all of it. She was sick and tired of having to carry this burden. Turning away, she picked her way through the grass, rage making her fists shake. Four people… that she knew about. How many more had they killed or hurt while she had been prancing around with her friends like she didn't have a care in the world?

"Sakura!" Kagami called, hurrying after her. "Wait-"

"What?!" She hissed, spinning around. "What now?!"

He recoiled from her, eyes widening in surprise.

"Leave it, Kagami. She has already made up her mind." Madara sneered, tossing his head in a clear dismissal. He turned, and as he began to walk away, the pressure returned, muting the world, pressing down on Sakura's shoulders.

With a pop, the world suddenly came alive again, the trees above them rustling in the wind, the grass stirring.

Kagami backed away. He looked hurt by her rejection, wringing his hands, but he didn't come closer or say anything else to her. With one last glance over his shoulder, he followed Madara from the clearing.

As he left, the white colour of the trees began to leech into the ground, returning to a deep brown, the leaves luminous glow fading and the gold colour scattering when the wind blew again. Before her eyes, the pond collapsed in on itself, the water drying away, and the log collapsed into a cloud of white, glimmering dust.

Itachi didn't leave, however. Instead, he lingered in the clearing, a look of quiet resignation on his face.

Sakura wished he would have said something. "So this is what you do." She said, squeezing her fists tightly.

"Sakura, what would you like me to say?" He asked with a gusty sigh. "I cannot return the dead to life- once they are marked, there is nothing to be done."

"You could've stopped him." She thrust her hand out, to where Madara and Kagami had disappeared through the trees. "You could've stopped all of them!"

"I am not a mind reader!" He snapped. he sighed again, rubbing his hand over his face. "Please, Sakura, this is not what I want. I do not want to argue with you." He said, pleading seeping into his voice.

She folded her arms.

He sighed. "Obito and Rin… the mention of her hurts him every time. He sees it as a personal failure that he could not save her, and now his garden… it was the last straw." He looked at her steadily, eyes dark grey rather than black. "Unless you have loved like he does, you cannot begin to understand the depths of his pain."

"I think its rather past time he learnt how to deal with his baggage like an adult." She snapped, shoulders high and tense. As much as she felt for Obito and his plight, he had still killed people, people who had had nothing to do with what had happened to Rin. "It was his anger that pushed Rin away-"

"You do not think I have told him this?" Itachi said, almost mocking. He shook his head. "My brothers, as you may have noticed, are rather hard headed, Sakura. They do not listen to me." He smiled, eyes faraway. "They seem to make a game of whoever can do the most stupid thing and annoy me."

Sakura didn't smile.

"Sasuke was not trying to upset you." Itachi said quietly, taking a few steps towards her, palms open.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and he stopped. She appreciated it.

"He… He is reckless and acts without thinking, but he meant you no harm." Itachi looked frustrated, running a hand through his immaculate hair. "He did not think- He would not have thought you would be angry at Sayaka's death, because in his eyes, he was trying to help."

"He-"

"I know!" Itachi said over her, voice barely rising. He sighed. "I cannot apologise for him and I cannot ask you in good conscience to forgive him."

Sakura fidgeted.

"I am asking you to consider listening to him." Itachi murmured. He glanced at her, eyes catching the moonlight in a way that made them look even lighter. "Of all of us, Sasuke does not enjoy or employ deception. When he speaks, he speaks plainly."

She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. But his small smile and unassuming stature made her somewhat less angry. She didn't know if she could be mean to Itachi, he was just so sweet. Not to mention he was trying to explain things to her. "How did you end up so understanding and sweet?" She grouched.

Itachi smiled. "My mother. She and I were close, and she taught me to be generous. If not for her, I do not think I would be who I am today." He blinked a few times, examining her. "She would have liked you, I think. You two have similar ideals."

Sakura didn't know if she liked being compared to a goddess. She had never met or read anything about the Uchiha's mother, but she suspected Itachi was giving her a sanitised version, something that was kinder on the ears. "Would she have approved of… this?"

"… No." Itachi gave her a tight smile. "She would have given us a tongue lashing if she could."

"What…" Sakura cut herself off. Itachi was easy to talk to, but she didn't know if she should ask him about his mother. He had done something similar, back in the mountain, telling her stories to get her to trust them and put her at ease. "I'd like some time." She said eventually. "I don't know how to feel to be quite honest and… I meant what I said about not wanting anything to do with all of this."

Itachi pressed his lips together. "It is too late for that." He told her seriously.

Sakura wrapped her arms around each other. Somewhere, deep in the trees, there was an excited bark.

Itachi smiled at her one more time and was gone.

Bentley shot out of the trees to Sakura's right, slamming into her side like a furry train.

Yelping, Sakura went down like a sack of bricks, flailing. Bentley landed on top of her and his paw dug into her stomach painfully. "Bentley!" She wailed, trying to untangle herself from him and his squirming legs.

As if to add insult to injury, he dropped the stick on her face.

Bentley was squirming far too much, and Sakura screwed up her face when he crawled over her, licking at her. "Bentley, get off!" She laughed, pushing his face away and finally managing to tip him off of her. Panting, she sat up and immediately Bentley put his front paws in her lap to lick her face again. "Stop it!"

She finally managed to get him away from her and get her feet under her.

Bentley yipped, and nudged the stick on the ground, eyes bright.

Sighing, Sakura picked up the stick, waving it around in front of his nose. "You wanna play, boy?"

He pranced away from her excitedly, and then took off after the stick when she hurled it through the trees.

Sakura glanced at the clearing behind her. Except it wasn't a clearing anymore, it was just a long row of fruit trees, dark and quiet in the night time. There was no trace of the silvery clearing, or any of the Uchiha's and if she hadn't just seen it melting it away, then she wouldn't have believed it was even there.

Sighing, Sakura trailed after her excitable dog. The meeting with the Uchiha hadn't gone how she wanted it to, in any way possible. She had intended to get more answers from them, and then tell them to unequivocally leave her and everyone else alone.

Instead it had just ended up with more yelling and anger. And her finding out that it hadn't been just Sayaka, but others as well, who by all accounts, were innocent. They hadn't done anything to anyone at all, but they were still dead because Obito couldn't control himself.

Bentley came back, stick in his jaws, and Sakura threw it for him again, not really focusing on it.

It was very clear from her conversation with the Uchiha that they were planning something. She could ask them as many questions as she wanted, but she suspected she would just get more vague half answers that left her more confused.

It was very clear she was out of her depth in comparison to them. They had age and experience. And powers that Sakura was still struggling to wrap her head around.

She continued her trek back to the house, throwing the stick for Bentley every time he brought it back to her.

She was outnumbered and outmatched.

And she had been terrifically naïve.

She had thought that just ordering them to refrain from killing and hurting would be enough. It wasn't. They were planning something, and they didn't seem inclined to share whatever it was. It was clear to Sakura that they were going to do everything and anything they could to keep her in the dark.

Bentley barked, running past, chasing a bug or something and Sakura couldn't help but smile. Even as old as he was, he still acted like a big puppy, chasing bugs and flowers.

So if they weren't going to share, Sakura would do it herself. She thought she could be hands off and forget all this had happened, but she was seeing that wasn't possible now. Like it or not, she was involved in this now.

* * *

Day 32

" _Consider listening to him."_

Sakura didn't know who to trust. She didn't know if any of the Uchiha had her best interests at heart, but she wagered not.

Koha had.

Or…

Sakura stared at her computer.

Sasuke had been warning her about Koha from the time she had first met the kindly old woman. At first, Sakura had pushed her own misgivings aside, had ignored all of the warnings because she wanted everything to go back to normal, where she wasn't caught up in some sort of centuries old game.

And she had discounted Sasuke's warning again, because how could she trust what he said after he'd killed Sayaka? But also because the Uchiha's had done nothing but trick and manipulate her the entire time she had been down in the mountain.

 _Koha is not who she says she is._

 _Parasite._

Sakura glared. She hated all this, the double speak, the tricks and the lies.

The very fact that Sasuke had mentioned Koha by name told her there was something more to the old woman.

Unless…

Sakura stared at her desk, listening to the sounds of her family downstairs, playing monopoly. She had begged off, lying about a headache. In reality, she just couldn't focus on a game when she had all of this bottle up inside and bouncing around her skull.

What if the Uchiha were just trying to isolate her?

She had seen her orders take effect on Sasuke, and then again on Obito. She could control them- were they trying to get her alone to make it easier for them to manipulate her-

Sakura groaned, burying her head in her hands. The more she thought about this, the worse it got. She didn't know what was going on, only that something was.

Koha. Or the Uchiha's.

Koha had been nothing but kind to Sakura and her family, and the Uchiha's had done nothing but terrorise everyone and everything since they had been freed.

But… that wasn't quite right.

Koha had been kind to Sakura and her family, opening her home to them. But what did Sakura really know about Koha? She had just appeared one day, like a well dressed fairy godmother and fussed and doted on Sakura like a grandmother.

Setting her jaw, Sakura opened her laptop. It woke quickly, her notes from the semester lighting up on the screen.

Koha was a councilwoman of Konoha, which meant there would undoubtedly be readily available public information on her. It would take Sakura one search to find it and she could put this to rest, finally.

She typed in Koha's name and paused.

Did she want to, though?

Koha was easy and kind and sweet, and she was like the grandmother Sakura never had. What if she read something she didn't like?

Sakura knew it wasn't even an option not to look it up. It would drive her crazy not knowing and now that she knew that Uchiha were planning something, she couldn't just skate through this pretending it didn't involve her.

She hit enter and clicked the first result to pop up.

Koha smiled out at her from the Wikipedia page, immaculate and well dressed as she always was. The photo was professionally taken, probably ripped from one of Konoha's government websites.

Scrolling, Sakura began to read.

And immediately, she knew she was a goddamn idiot.

She sat back, shoulders rising and chest growing hot and tight with something like anger. She clenched her fists, deliberately moving her hands away from her laptop so she didn't do something stupid like hit it out of rage.

Again _and again_ _ **and again**_.

Every single time, she had been taken for a goddamn fool.

First Sayaka.

And then Kagami.

And now _this._

What a goddamn joke she was. Her scholarship, her grades, her place on the honour roll and she couldn't even recognise when someone was lying to her face. For all of her brains and her book smarts, Sakura was beginning to realise that she was so far in over her head it wasn't funny.

She had ignored her misgivings, had turned on Sasuke when he had…

God she was a fucking idiot.

 _Councilwoman Koharu Utane is Konoha's first female councillor, and often considered a trailblazer for…_

Koharu.

Not Koha.

 _Koharu._

That was the name Sasuke had cursed down in the mountain, the one who had imprisoned him.

The Uchiha were undoubtedly dangerous. And it was very clear now that Koha… Koharu was too. Why would she have lied to Sakura if not to conceal what she had done?

Sakura closed her laptop, deliberately gentle lest she slam it down.

They were all playing a game with Sakura and she was sick of it.

* * *

This chapter was a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch to write. I couldn't decide how I wanted to set things up for the future stuff and it was driving me nuts. Anyway, as you can see, it's… mostly coherent. Mostly.

Look, look, the main point is now its done and I can move on to easier things.

In other news, I put lots of little thiiiings in here for you all to have a squiz at. I so badly want to point them out to you all, but I know everyone hates it when I give things away so I'm just going to sit here and scream into the void.

Alrighty then.


	15. Day 35: Shade

Hi.

Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter! I'm glad to know everyone is still enjoying it, and I do apologise for not getting back to people/going awol. There is no excuse, I'm just a lazy shit and that's on me.

Heh.

Anyway, did something a bit FUN this chapter. I'd kinda neglected the best boi, so I gave him his own chapter! Aww, so cute. If you guys like it, I may end up doing full chapters from the other Uchiha's perspectives, since I think it will help with character development.

Enough of my rambling! I do hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 15

Day 35: Shade

Shisui stared into white, sightless eyes, conflicted. It was freezing down here, the water pitch dark, untouched by the light in the sky above. Down here, little stirred, the waters left still and murky. It was too deep for the currents and wind to stir up the waters.

White hair obscured her face for a brief moment, hiding those wide, staring eyes.

"This was Kirin's keeper?" Kagami asked, voice echoing quietly in his head, tinged with horror.

Shisui had found her after Sasuke had told him that he sensed Kirin beneath Shisui's oceans. It had frightened him, seeing the ghostly white hair and eyes so far beneath the surface. Down here, life was… simpler. It was not meant for beings with hearts and eyes and dreams.

"What has she done?" Kagami whispered, to no one in particular.

 _Shisui reached forward to take the small, wooden totem from Karin's arms, wishing to spare Sasuke from having to see such an awful, terrible sight. Once he had Kirin in his possession, Shisui could tend to Shade Koharu had created._

 _But as soon as his fingers neared Karin's crossed arms, she sprang to life, thrashing violently in the cold waters, stirring up silt. The heavy black chains holding her to the rock tightened around her translucent skin, tearing it like paper and spilling thick silver blood into the water._

 _Shisui retreated quickly, confused. Shades could not bleed!_

 _Karin screamed at him, the sound muffled and made heavy by the water. She clutched the totem more tightly, curling over it as much as she could._

 _Protecting it._

"I do not know." Shisui admitted. He had tried putting Karin to sleep, but somehow, she resisted it, her mind a nest of madness and agony. He had tried simply flash stepping away with her, but it had not worked, and he had simply found himself atop the waters, empty handed.

Not even his little creatures, eating away at the chains could free her. The black chains, stinking of something foul, just regenerated and killed his companions. Desperate, he simply destroyed the rock she was chained too, but his power had no effect, and had simply rebounded, killing everything in the vicinity.

Karin would not let him near without trying her best to rip his throat out. But she tore herself to pieces doing so, leaving deep wounds on her skin, wounds that looked bloodless and pale.

So he had been forced to get Sasuke, hoping that maybe the other Uchiha would be able to get close to Karin.

He had been, long enough to take Kirin from her arms, but when Sasuke tried to free her, he got the same result as Shisui, his power rebounding and killing Shisui's animals.

So he had brought Kagami.

Kagami controlled all that was and ever would be. There was nothing that could resist Kagami's desires.

" _She did this!" Sasuke snarled, curling a hand around Karin's pale cheek. "I will rip her to pieces for this-"_

 _Shisui snatched at Sasuke, but his younger brother was already gone. Sasuke had been in a foul mood when Shisui had called him, snapping and lashing out at everything Shisui had said. Sasuke had not said what had upset him, but Shisui suspected his little brother had done something reckless again._

 _Sighing, Shisui floated as close to Karin as he could get before she sensed him. The eyes that saw almost as much as his were blind and unseeing and the bright, fiery hair had been bleached white by the lack of light._

 _Her skin was still perfect, untouched by age. But it had lost the bright, healthy sheen it had always had. She was thin, wrists and ankles bony and her collarbones jutting harshly through her skin._

 _She was still in the night slip she had been in when Danzo had killed her. The water and time had leeched the colour from it, but Shisui could see a faint shadow blooming around her breast, where her blood had stained the fabric._

 _The chains holding her to the rock were ugly, crude things, leaking some sort of thick polluting liquid into his oceans._

 _Shisui's presence kept it at bay, but it had been here for a thousand years, poisoning his creatures, his waters._

Kagami looked pained as he floated nearer to Karin. His nose wrinkled as he smelled the thick, pungent smell of the black pollution seeping off the chains. "What is this?" He asked, but his question was not directed at Shisui.

Shisui lingered further back.

His older brother shook his head, obviously frustrated and then lifted his hand and uncurled it fluidly. Gold light radiated out, illuminated the rocky, craggy bottom of Shisui's ocean. Any of Shisui's creatures that dared to get close to the area, fled immediately, frightened by the light.

" _Rest now."_ Kagami commanded softly, and Shisui saw the environment begin to change to whatever it was Kagami was thinking about.

The waters receded, the gold light mapping out a tatami mat floor. With a sigh, a bed appeared and-

-Shisui grunted, crossing his arms over his face when the spell holding Karin prisoner recoiled violently. It lashed out with a deep howl of fury, shattering the environment Kagami had been creating with a sharp _snap_. The collision of energy blasted them both back, whipping the water to a boil and killing yet more of Shisui's creatures.

It was over before long and Shisui uncovered his face, looking for his older brother worriedly.

Kagami was floating nearby, unharmed.

"What happened?" Shisui demanded, looking from Kagami up to where Karin had been.

The cold confusion that had gripped him at the start of all this came back in force. The chains holding Karin were untouched. The seer had fallen unconscious, head lolling and silvery blood clouding the water around her.

"How… Kagami-"

Kagami yanked his arm away from Shisui's, eyes growing huge and black in his face. "What has she _done_?!" He snarled. "This is no Shade. It something… worse than that."

Shisui's suspicions were correct then. What he did not understand, was how Kagami's power had been resisted. Kagami created things, willed things into existence, as he wanted them. If he commanded something to change, it changed.

Kagami floated closer to Karin, staring with eyes that were so dark they looked like holes. "She is weak." He said, voice hard and cold. "If I try again…"

"So she is alive." Shisui pressed.

"Not…" Kagami's lips pressed together, expression upset. "Not… fully. Not like you or I."

Shisui heaved a sigh. Sasuke was already incensed- but his youngest brother thought that Karin was a clever Shade devised by Koharu. If he found out that Karin was actually alive, and had suffered this fate for a thousand years, Shisui was not sure if even Sakura's commands would be enough to quell Sasuke's rage. "Sasuke cannot know."

His older brother rubbed his forehead. "I have to talk to Madara." He muttered. "Shisui, stay away from this. Leave it be."

Shisui narrowed his eyes. "What? We cannot leave her like this, Kagami!"

"Leave it alone!" Kagami snapped harshly. "Do not try to free her again- Did you touch her?"

Shisui glowered. "Why?"

"Did you touch her?!" Kagami demanded, urgency colouring his voice. "It doesn't matter- stay away from here from now on, Shisui, do not come back here, you understand?"

Shisui never got a chance to respond because Kagami slipped out of existence, the water rippling as if he had never been there at all. He blew out a harsh breath, bubbles escaping towards the surface, far above him.

Slowly, slowly, his small friends began to creep back. There were simple, fragile things, but he could feel their worry at the strange invaders that he had brought down to their home

He stilled the waters, cleansing it from the pollution that had seeped down over the years of human waste. It would only grow polluted again, but for now, it was clean for his creatures to enjoy and thrive in.

Karin's head lolled limply.

He drifted closer, hoping that now she was senseless, he might be able to get close.

But it was to no avail. Her head snapped up as he crossed the invisible line, face furious, snarling and snapping at him, bloodless lips pulled back in a scream.

Shisui drifted away and she sagged against the chains, following his movements with sightless eyes. It was a predatory look, completely animal, no trace of intelligence. Being down here had driven her mad.

He did not understand why Kagami had been so short with him. His older brother was hiding something from Shisui, and it sat uneasily with him. It was never like Kagami to deliberately keep Shisui in the dark.

Shisui did not appreciate it.

Scoffing, he kicked off the bottom of the ocean, deciding to swim up rather than simple teleporting himself to the surface. The cool waters would help calm him down, lest he go the route Sasuke had taken and end up raging around like a child.

The currents grew stronger as he swam, pushing and pressing at each other. Warm brushed over his face, greeting him, whispering a quiet song of joy in his ears. Cold had no such gentleness about her, slamming into him with all the fury of the ice he had imbued her with, snatching at his hair in a reprimand.

Shisui let them play their games as Warm and Cold collided, arguing with hushed bubbles and swishing water.

Always arguing.

Warm surged upwards with him, while Cold retreated back, back to the south after having said her greetings.

As he surfaced, Shisui was bombarded with stinging rain and fierce winds that whipped his ocean into a frenzy. The waves rose high overhead, frothing white water and the tang of salt. Sasuke's storm had raged for weeks now, swirling dangerously overhead.

Shisui shook his hair out of his eyes, spotting Warm dancing between the waves, laughing and teasing them on, joyous in the humid air Sasuke brought with him.

A beam of light suddenly cut through the air, shattering the darkness. For a brief second, Shisui glimpsed red, gleaming with water.

A boat.

Shisui ducked under a crashing wave. Warm swirled around him, trying to entice him into play, but Shisui was more interested in the big, square boat that had appeared. It had legs, a platform suspended high above the waters, a strange boat if Shisui had ever seen one.

But even as big as it was, Shisui's oceans were larger, and the waves battered against it.

Warm turned hot, boiling with anger at the boat, tearing away from Shisui's side, the waves rising higher and higher.

 _Invader!_

Shisui spat out a mouthful of tangy salt water. He had never seen his current do that before. Warm was always the gentler of the two, playful and happy. He liked to tease the humans, stealing their boats and taking them away on grand adventures.

This was not that.

The boat held steady against Warm though, rocking and swaying with the swell. Shisui could hear metal groaning deep in its belly, heard the deep rumbling of whatever was powering it, could hear the humans inside, shouting to each other.

Shisui ducked under another wave, retreating back where it was calmer. Warm was still swirling angrily around the boat, pushing and shoving at it to find any weakness. But the humans had always been good at building things and there was no weakness to be found.

Warm rushed back to Shisui's side, babbling about invasions and dead animals, pressing insistently, trying to show him something.

Images of black tar choking his oceans flickered in his mind.

Shisui frowned.

The humans had polluted even the depths of his oceans, it was true, but this was…

One of his creatures, struggling, gasping for air, covered in sticky, black tar.

 _Not a boat._ Warm whispered. _Invader, taker_.

Shisui swam closer to the strange not-boat. The legs dove deep down into the water, disappearing into the dark waters below. He touched one of them curiously. It was worn and rusted, a thick mix of rock and metal.

He followed it down, Warm glued to his side.

Down and down it went, strange, rubbery lines following the steel down.

The legs went all the way down, and Shisui was shocked to see that they were anchored against the hard bedrock of the ocean floor. Humans could not come down here, and yet, here was one of their creations, stuck to his ocean floor like a little bug. How…

There was a deep pulse, rippling through the water.

Shisui hissed, covering his ears, cringing at the bone deep grinding, whistling noise. It made his ears ring and vision shake. Slowly, slowly, the pressure and noise subsided, dissipating into the waves.

Shisui relaxed and then winced, clapping his hands more tightly over his ears when the pulse rippled outward again, coming right from under the not-boat, between its long, thick legs. The pushed against him, incessant and insistent, coming in waves, pulsing, loud waves that made his eyes narrow in pain.

What was this?

Warm slithered around his arm, begging for him to do something.

Again, images of black, choking tar assaulted his mind. Shisui shoved them away angrily, irritated, overwhelmed by the noise.

Warm sank back, afraid.

Shisui was not angry at his current.

Surging forward, Shisui blocked out the sound, swimming towards where it was emanating from. Deep below the belly of the not boat, Shisui found the source.

A pipe, digging deep into the ground, piercing the rock. He put a hand on it and was shocked to find it icy cold and thrumming with the power humans called electricity. From what he could tell, the pipe stabbed deep underground. The water around the pipe stunk of greasy tar, thick and pungent, oily and slippery feeling, nothing like the clean sharp tang it should have been.

It stank like the little boxes the humans drove around, like the metal birds they flew. This was what they were taking- this… black stuff?

The pipe pulsed under his hand, the high pitched grinding assaulting his eardrums again.

Shisui shook his head, furious. This black liquid- it was beneath the ground for a reason, full of carbon and dangerous in high doses. But the humans had found it and were taking out, to power their lives.

Warm brushed against his back.

 _Spilled it._

Shisui glowered angrily, assaulted once again when the pipe pulsed, sucking more of the black liquid up, up, up out the ground. _His oceans-_

The pressure around him increased, growing heavier and heavier and heavier. Warm swirled in confusion, pressing closer to him, afraid.

Shisui ignored him, willing the water to push harder and harder on this parasitic thing poisoning his water. The water obliged, swirling and pressing, singing its revenge. It was not like Warm and Cold, older, more ancient, not of one mind, but many, ancient sleeping ones.

Still, she listened to him, touching his face, woken briefly.

The pipe groaned and then crumpled beneath his hand, like a crushed piece of paper, cutting off the flow altogether. Around him, the legs of the not-boat groaned at the increased pressure and Shisui heard them creaking and beginning to fail under the extra weight.

He looked up. Warm settled around his shoulders, smug and pleased.

The Ocean awoke quietly, slowly.

The first leg gave, snapping and shattering under the pressure. Metal tore from metal, shearing away from itself. The anchoring metal screamed at it tore, yanking up a slab of bedrock, the leg crumpling. It snapped by the point of failure, jolting and then slamming into the bedrock below with a massive boom, sending up a cloud of dust.

He heard a harsh, high sound ring out above him as the humans figured out something was wrong.

Near him, another of the legs began to fail, twisting and warping with the added weight. It began to bend, the metal lightening under the stress.

Warm pushed hard, leaping from Shisui's shoulders, encouraging it. The current slammed into the side of the failing leg, hissing and boiling the water in savage delight. Shisui let him.

The entire not-boat rocked violently.

The alarm got louder, more urgent.

Shisui moved out of the way as the second, third, and fourth legs began to break and fail under the extra load. The pipe snapped completely, spilling stinking black liquid into the water.

Electricity arced outwards, electrifying the water. Angry, the Ocean pressed harder, squashing it, quenching it out. The pipe whipped through the water, no longer anchored, almost liquid despite being made of metal and rock.

Shisui floated away from the destruction. Above the humans rumbling metal birds were roaring to life, the loud warning wail heavy and slow through the thick layers of water.

The ground split with enough force to snap one of the remaining legs clean in half. The ground opened, yawning and black and ocean water rushed down, dragging the pipe and broken legs down with it. The metal legs looked like twigs compared to the yawning hole, snapping and bending like a branch caught in rapids.

The two remaining legs crumpled like paper under the extra weight, and Shisui heard the not-boat slam into the water, high above his head. The yawning depths of the opened ocean floor did not let up, sucking in more and more and more water, and with it, the not boat.

Warm crowed in his ear.

Shisui just watched as the yawning pit he had opened sucked the twisted, ruined remains of the not boat down into the earth. It left detritus and debris in its wake, along with more of that thin, stinking black liquid.

Metal and rock scraped against each other, screaming and screeching. But the sucking pressure of the hole and the giant weight of the water atop the not-boat forced it down, deep into the earth, drowning it in the black liquid they wanted.

Shisui closed the hole after it was done, the earth shaking and shifting as it slipped and resealed itself.

And then the water was silent.

It was still oily and heavy from the black liquid, tainted and dirty.

The Ocean hissed her dissatisfaction with her dirty water, showing it to Shisui pleadingly.

Shisui shooed Warm away, reaching out to his most trusted ally. She was already fading back to sleep, but she beseeched him, not in words but rather a feeling, to clean her waters, to help. She had been struggling for so long, large enough to swallow some of the human's invasion, but even her strength was waning.

Shisui cleaned the water around where the not-boat was, drawing out the pollution, purifying it. While he did, he bid her to sleep.

He would deal with it now.

* * *

Kaito stared at the churning waves in horror. The helicopter was struggling against the violent winds and lashing rains, but it was their only refuge. The oil rig below them groaned, listing dangerously to one side.

One of the shale tanks exploded on the far side of the oil rig, lighting up the night sky and the churning waves below.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Someone said behind him, voice very thin and small. "Jesus…"

Kaito swiped water from his eyes, flinching when the oil rig groaned loudly, collapsing into the water. His stomach churned uneasily.

He had been below, monitoring the pump when the first pylon had gone. He had felt it creaking and swaying and when it had snapped and hit the bottom of the ocean. The impact had been hard enough to knock him over.

The thought occurred to him just how lucky he was.

How lucky they all were.

"Holy shit." Someone whispered. "We got everyone, right? Right?!"

No one answered as the oil rig was dragged beneath the ocean, towering crane falling over, crashing into the ocean with a scream of metal and steel cables.

Fifteen minutes

It had taken all of fifteen minutes. That was _it_.

"Right guys?! We got everyone!? _Right_?!"

Kaito felt like being sick. He sat back against the rain slick seat of the helicopter as the pilot struggled with the controls. Ahead of them, Kaito could only just make out the lights of the other two helicopters ahead of them.

Kirigakure was miles away and the storm was wreaking havoc with their radios.

Not for the first time since he had taken this job, Kaito was reminded just how far away they were from civilisation.

He looked down at the water. He could only just make out the disappearing wreck beneath the water, lit by the exploding oil tanks. The waves crashed down on it, dragging it further down into the darkness.

And for a brief second, Kaito saw what looked like a man, looking up at them from the water, pale skin gleaming with water and lightning.

His heart thumped and he looked away quickly, breath harsh. "You didn't see anything." He whispered.

"What!?" Rei yelled in his ear, looking at him in confusion, black hair stuck to her face by the rain. "What'd you say?"

Kaito shook his head.

He didn't see anything.

* * *

Shisui shook water out of his eyes, pushing his hair back from his forehead. Warm had left him sometime ago, bouncing around excitedly, babbling and burbling. No doubt off to argue with Cold.

Sakura was kneeling on the edge of the creek bank, a colourful umbrella over her head, peering into the water with big eyes.

"What are we looking for?" Shisui whispered in her ear.

Predictably, she screamed, startling and then falling into the water with a loud splash. The creek wasn't moving particularly fast, meandering through the trees, deep and clear.

Shisui laughed, straightening.

Sakura was funny.

Sakura surfaced, umbrella bobbing on the slow moving water. She shoved her hair out of her face, spitting out a mouthful of water. She glared at him, eyes widening and shoulders rising in shock and anger. "Shi- Why-"

She continued to splutter in indignation, making Shisui grin.

So funny.

"You're such an asshole!" She finally decided, latching onto the side of the creek and hauling herself out.

Shisui willed the current to change, her umbrella bobbing towards him. He collected it from the creek, picking it up and shaking it out delicately.

Sakura gave him the flattest, most unimpressed look he had ever seen when he offered it to her. "Yeah, because the rain is what I'm most worried about right now." She said, dead pan and droll. She reminded him of a soaked little cat, all raised hackles and narrow green eyes.

Shisui bit his lip. "I did not know you would fall in." He said innocently.

She puffed up at him, cheeks going pink and nose wrinkling. "Sure you didn't." She snapped. she snatched the umbrella from him, snapping it shut. She looked him up and down critically. "Where were you last time?"

Shisui hummed noncommittally. "I was tending to my friends." He said. "Would you like to see?"

Sakura looked surprised by his question, as if she expected more of a fight to get it out of him. "Your friends?"

Shisui knelt by the creek, a little excited. No one but Itachi cared to see his little friends, and Kagami only liked to see them when he could warp them and change them to his liking.

Putting his hands in the water, Shisui called one of the little ones he had been tending to. She had gotten caught in those giant dredging nets the humans used for fishing now, and it had scraped and torn her side.

She came at his call, nudging against his hand curiously, intrigued by this new environment. She could not survive here long, not without the salt in which she lived, so Shisui scooped her out quickly, creating a little salty water bubble for her. She cooed at him, waving her tentacles, testing the boundaries of this new home.

Sakura made a surprised noise, goggling at the small octopus bobbing in the bubble. "Whoa…" She said, eyes shining with childlike curiousity.

The octopus was one of his cuter creations, with her giant blue eyes and short, stout orange tentacles. One of the large flaps on her head, really fins, but more earlike in appearance, flapped slowly, making her bob.

Shisui showed Sakura the missing tentacle on her side.

The little octopus swiped her fins over her eyes, curling her tentacles up over herself, into a small, blobby ball.

Sakura giggled in delight, beaming at the small creature. "Aw, he's so cute. What is it?"

"She." Shisui corrected. "It is an octopus. You call them dumbo-"

"Dumbo!" Sakura cried, smiling lighting up her face and to Shisui's confusion, she burst out into renewed giggles. "Because of her ears, right? That is so cute!"

Shisui blinked, a little confused. He did not know what Sakura was talking about. "They are fins." He said weakly, but she was not listening, peering at the shy creature, waggling her fingers at her through the water. "Well, I was busy looking after her."

Sakura looked up at him a very strange look on her face. "You…"

Shisui knew his friend would not do well in his bubble for very long, and he knew it was stressful for her, pulling her out of the deep rock pool he had put her in for care. So he set the bubble back in the creek, allowing it to melt back into the water.

She waved at him and then he let her return to the creche he had created.

Sakura was still staring at him.

He could not quite place her expression. She looked almost conflicted, though the smile on her face had faded some.

For a few minutes, they sat on the edge of the creek, Sakura apparently lost in thought.

Shisui did not mind so much.

Here, surrounded by greenery, it almost reminded of his mother's garden, lush and sweet smelling. And here, the water was not as polluted, still retaining some of the clean sweetness he was used to.

A warm hand touched his cheek, tentative.

Sakura's eyes looked brighter in the grey rain.

He had seen them briefly, when he had met her down in the mountain, but seeing things through his foresight and with his eyes were two different things. It was not the same.

She looked a sight, soaking wet, hair scraggly and stuck to her face. In her giant jacket and cast, she looked lost and ridiculous. It was a contrast to the woman who held so much power in her hands.

"Shisui." She whispered, eyes flicking over his.

"Yes."

"You have eyes."

Shisui had honestly expected it to come up earlier.

Sakura looked at him expectantly.

"I took them back." He said after a moment. He did not relish having Sakura demand answers from him. If he was going to tell her, it was going to be on his terms. No one was ever going to demand anything from him ever again. "And I killed the one who took them."

Her expression darkened. "I should have guessed." She murmured, sitting back on her heels.

Shisui was not sure what she expected. She was woefully naïve and while it was rather sweet, Shisui was not the only one who wanted something from Sakura and others… would not be so kind- had not been so kind.

"… You promised me." She said after a moment, voice small.

"I said what I had to." Shisui said.

Her eyes blazed a hole in his face. "You _lied_ to me."

"I did." He admitted. Sakura was a very kind young woman, and Shisui regretted she had gotten tangled up in this at all. "But you do not know what it is like, Sakura- the others, they all had light, I had nothing. _Nothing_."

She opened her mouth to retort.

But Shisui was not finished. "A thousand years, my eyes burned and itched where he had torn them out of my face. A thousand years in the dark, in the cold, no light, no sun, no one to talk to. That was what I was resigned to. Until you."

Sakura's mouth closed and she eyed him warily.

"I would have said _anything_ to leave that behind." Shisui said. "Would you have done anything different?"

Her brow creased and she avoided looking at him, obviously conflicted. Kagami had told Shisui about Sakura's interest in healing- an admirable goal, lofty, but befitting her stubborn, bleeding heart demeanour. "He was like you- the other… The one who took your eyes." She spluttered.

"He was."

Sakura fidgeted with her umbrella over her shoulder. Shisui did not know why she was still holding it- she was already wet. "Why did he take your eyes?" She asked finally.

He had been expecting that question as well. Sighing, Shisui leaned back on his hands, watching the stream, dappled by falling rain.

Danzo was not kind- he had been cruel and callous since the day he was born. Scheming and plotting in the shadows, manipulating and lying to everyone and everything if it benefitted him.

Shisui was not kind either. But Danzo and his siblings… they were callous in a way that even unsettled Shisui.

His eye panged with phantom pain and he shook his head to rid himself of the memory of a hot hand on the side of his face-

"Shisui?"

He blinked.

Sakura was staring at him, bedraggled and ridiculous looking, eyes wide. "Are you alright?" She asked, shuffling closer to him.

Funny.

Shisui smiled at her, tugging on a strand of her damp, frizzy hair. "It is nothing. To answer your question, he took my eyes because he did not like the word no." He said. "But it does not matter anymore, because it is done, and it no longer matters if he likes the word or not."

"Because he's dead."

He winked at her, enjoying the flush of colour it brought. "Because he is dead."

Her lips pressed together, obviously unhappy.

"So." He said, leaning back on his hands once more. "What now, Sakura? Will you send me away, like you did Sasuke?"

Sakura eyed him. "I… What do you guys want?"

Shisui felt a tug around his chest, a compulsion to tell her something. "I want my oceans clean." He settled on, the compulsion fading startingly quickly. He knew that was not what Sakura meant, but the seal was not sentient, it did not understand context. "As for the others-"

"If you're going to hide things from me, why should I trust you?" Sakura interrupted sharply, eyes bright against the grey clouds and vivid green of the lush plants around them. If she was not so wet and small looking, she would make a striking image. "Cause right there, you didn't answer my question."

Shisui felt no tug this time. A question, not a command then. Interesting. "You should not trust me." He admitted.

"Then why are you here?!" Sakura pressed, voice lowering to a hiss. "Because that story about your eyes- it's all well and good. But I'm not sure how much of it you made up to drum up support, Shisui."

That stung.

She must have seen something in his expression because she sighed sharply, looking away. "You, Kagami, Koha… ru. All of you have lied to me, made me look like a complete and utter idiot."

So she had listened to Sasuke after all. "It is unfortunate that you got mixed up in all of this." He murmured. Sakura was a sweet woman, a little naïve and utterly ridiculous in the way her brain worked, but sweet and kind all the same. "I did not make up that story." He said, glancing at her.

Sakura looked a little sheepish. "Well… You guys were locked up down there- you even said it yourself, that no one would want to free you if they knew the things you had done-"

Shisui tugged on a strand of her damp pink hair. Such a strange colour for a mortal. He had never seen it before. "You are like Sasuke." He said. "Koharu and her brothers were just as cruel as we were- perhaps more so."

Sakura sagged weakly, batting his hand away. "So you're all like this then, genocidal maniacs hellbent on… destroying everything, just because?"

Just because.

"I am no genocidal. I just want you to leave my friends alone." Shisui said, somewhat defensive. How many of his carefully curated creatures had died in his absence, poisoned and hunted to extinction by humanity?

Sakura glared at him.

Shisui sighed. "Koharu is not your friend either, Sakura." He reminded her. "She lied to you-"

"So far, she hasn't killed anyone or tried to you know… cause massive amounts of property damage and strife." Sakura exclaimed, only a little bit of a hysterical edge to her voice, throwing her hands up at the same time.

"True, she has not killed anyone recently." Shisui said, pushing himself up. Sakura stared up at him with narrow green eyes. A little wet cat indeed. "Shall I show you?"

Sakura eyed him warily, shoulders high with tension. "Is it going to be real, or another one of those illusions? I know Sasuke can do them- and you have eyes now, which means you can too, right?" She asked, clutching her coat around her tightly. "So what am I going to see? What you want? Or is this a clever ploy to lock me in some torture dungeon?"

Shisui could not help the smile. "You have a very active imagination." He said, amused and a little bewildered.

Ridiculous.

Sakura glowered at him and as if it explained something, waved her hands at him angrily.

He tilted his head, watching her. "As for what you will see… Well, this is something that even I would not think to dream up."

Sakura stripped off her jacket with another frown, pulling out a little silver box. Everyone had one of those things now and Shisui was fascinated by them. He had tried making Kana's work, but it had broken after he had gone swimming, the black mirror cracked and seeping water from the little holes on the bottom.

He was just about to ask when Sakura took his hand. she had tucked the box into her jacket and was staring up at him defiantly.

"You better not drown me." She threatened, though it was hardly intimidating in the slightest, what with the big, bulky bandage on her arm and the dark circles under her eyes.

"That would serve no purpose." Shisui said, helping her down the bank. She was not particularly sure footed, and he eventually just picked her up under the arms and set her down in the water next to him.

She huffed. "That's not that reassuring."

Shisui hummed. "It will be cold- but I will take care of you." He said, giving her another wink. "Is that more reassuring?"

She looked a bit like his mother when she got frustrated with him.

"It will be a shock." He warned her. "Do not panic, I have you."

She reacted remarkably well, eyes springing wide open at the sudden onslaught of freezing water. Shisui's presence kept her safe, the waters curious about her presence so deep. Instinctively, she inhaled, and she went cross eyed from shock when she breathed in oxygen.

Shisui snorted.

Her grip on his forearms was bruising, and she was trembling a little, but not from the cold. She seemed to be trying to get herself under control.

Shisui gave her a few seconds, unbothered by the cool water. To him, it was pleasant.

Her hair floating around her face like a cloud, she looked up around them. her eyes were wide in awe as she looked around the dark water, though Shisui doubted she was truly seeing anything at all. It was very dark down here, and her dim mortal eyes would see nothing but black.

She pressed closer to him nervously, fingers digging into his arms.

Shisui was almost surprised by her grip. She was strong, for one so dainty and short, especially after as malnourished as she was.

After a few moments for Sakura to compose herself, Shisui called forth a light, snapping his fingers. The water reverberated around them and then, like those stories the humans liked so much, the water began to part and recede from around them. It slipped back, dropping them to the rocky, sandy ocean floor, forming a bubble for them to stand in.

Sakura gasped, flopping against him and then shoving off his chest, nearly tripped over herself and fell over.

Shisui caught her easily, hand glowing with a warm ray of light. How often he had wished to do this in his prison, just to see the glow of anything at all…

Sakura blinked blearing at him, touching her clothes. "You couldn't have done that before?" She gasped, latching onto his arm again, reminiscent of the little shelled creatures Shisui liked to tease with kelp.

"Sorry." Shisui murmured. Sakura was still funny, but down here, with the glow of light, able to see Karin, there was not much to be jovial about.

He did not relish showing Sakura this.

Shisui turned Sakura around, to see what her dear Koha had done in their absence.

Karin was floating listlessly just beyond the barrier of their little bubble, held only by the chains around her torso. Her head was bowed, hair waving around her face like tendrils. She looked so small and sick from here, all skin and bone, her dress having lost the opulence and shine she loved so much.

Sakura jolted in shock, recoiling back, her shoulder slamming into his chest. "What… There's- You have to help her!" She cried, darting forward, nearly plunging herself back into the dark water.

Shisui snagged the back of her giant red shirt.

But she had already crossed the invisible line that awoke Karin.

Karin's head snapped up, white eyes glowing with the light in Shisui's hand. Her hair looked like a cloud of dust, and her bony arms snapped tight around the little totem she had been tasked to protect. Still, despite how weak she must be, she lunged at them, snapping and tossing her head, driven mad by whatever it was Koharu had done.

Sakura stumbled back once more, mouth dropping open in horror as she watched Karin strain and struggle against the black chains. All too soon, Karin's silvery blood began to cloud the water.

Karin snapped her teeth at them, curling over the stupid totem. Shisui pulled Sakura back gently, away from the line that marked Karin's range of sight.

The former red head froze, head snapping right and left as she searched for them. Not finding them, the seer sank back against the rock, head bowing as she looked down at the totem in her arms. Protecting it, after all these years.

"This is what Koharu has done." Shisui said quietly, lifting his hand higher so Sakura could see the black chains properly, dug deep into the bedrock of the ocean floor. "Her name was- _is_ Karin."

Sakura had a hand over her mouth, a funny green colour. She was just staring, eyes huge and wet. "She's alive?" She breathed.

Shisui sighed heavily. "Enough."

"You've got to get her out of there! She's…" Sakura looked at him desperately, and then at Karin's limp form. "She's- Look!"

Shisui shook his head. It truly was an atrocity what had been done to Karin. Almost a mockery of what had been done to him, only this one was far more unfair because all the seer had done was love Sasuke. "I have tried. Kagami, Sasuke… We all did. It does not work- whatever holds her refuses to let her go."

Sakura looked distressed, knuckles white. "Koharu did this…?"

"She was the one who locked Sasuke away." Shisui murmured. "It makes sense."

Sakura looked like she was about to burst into tears and Shisui thought perhaps she had seen enough. While it may not endear them all to her, it would go a long way in turning her against Koharu and back to the Uchiha.

He tugged on her arm, pulling her back to his side, ready to leave-

-Shisui gasped as the world stretched and warped around him, not unlike it had when Kagami used to take him on piggy-back rides around their mother's garden.

But it was not his mother's garden he found himself in.

He did not recognise this grove. But at the same time, he felt as if he should.

The sky overhead was a light purple, twinkling with unusually bright stars. Hanging overhead was a shattered moon, debris scattered across the sky from some sort of massive impact.

Shisui turned slowly. The trees here were white, twisted, without their leaves or flower. The ground was cracked and brown, the dirt devoid of life completely. The planet was beautiful, but also disgusting at the same time.

There was nothing alive here, nothing at all.

None of his creatures, his little friends.

It was freezing, the air still and dry. But more than that, Shisui felt as if he was not alone, as if there was someone else here. The presence was omnipresent, hanging over him, heavy and bloated and massive.

Someone grabbed his arm, yanking him around violently.

"-lere!"

Shisui recoiled violently, tearing himself from whatever it was that had seized him. Shaking, he looked around wildly, searching for whoever it was that had grabbed his arms.

Dark, empty water.

But for the first time… perhaps ever, Shisui did not feel safe.

Sakura was hanging off his arm, shaking it. "Shisui! Hey!"

Her red rimmed eyes made the green of her irises even more prominent, to the point where they looked like they were glowing. Her hair was bright, life and colour in this dark, desolate place.

He could feel tightness in his chest as his heart pounded.

Something else was down here.

Shisui took Sakura's arm, and shadow-stepped out of the water, back inland, back to her home, where there was none of that darkness- the…

"Shisui!" Sakura cried as he dumped her on the bank. She scrambled over to him, grabbing at his shirt. "Wait- What happened-"

Shisui stumbled back. The water of the creek was too warm, too alive, like hands, grabbing at him-

He fled again, away from the water.

* * *

Shisui is a hardcore greenie guys.

Poor bebe.

Also dumbo octopus are real things. Gooooooooooogle it, sho cute.


	16. Day 57: Eye of the Storm

MISDIRECTION.

Also, Shisui's role kinda got a bit larger than I originally intended. Whoopsie daisy, my bias is showing.

And uh, Kagami's back to being a love interest, cause you know, I thought up a cute little scene in my big old head.

* * *

Chapter 16

Day 57: Eye of the Storm

Anko Mitarashi was not at all what Sakura was expecting. From Kakashi's description of her, Sakura had expected a tall, imposing woman, maybe battle hardened or stern, no nonsense and severe.

Instead Anko was dressed in a simple tan shirt and black slacks, purple hair pulled back into a short, spiky ponytail. She had a smooth face that made her age hard to place. She wasn't much taller than Sakura. The only thing she had gotten right was the light in Anko's eyes, no nonsense and stern.

"So… You didn't come here to shoot the shit and talk about how much you hate your lecturers." Anko said, settling more comfortably into her wing backed chair. She looked at Sakura with kind but stern eyes. "We can keep talking about it if you like though, it's up to you."

Sakura twisted her fingers around and around.

She had never been to a therapist before- she had no idea what she was even supposed to talk about. Like she had told Kakashi, she was fine- she… she wasn't hurt, anymore, and in the grand scheme of things, she was lucky.

"Uh… Well, I came because my mum was worried about me." Sakura said quietly. She itched to pick up her phone. "She thought I might be… like traumatised after everything happened."

"Mm." Anko spun her pen around in an impressive display of dexterity. "And what do you think, Sakura?"

The question was innocuous, simply as can be. She'd heard it a million times in class. And yet, in this situation, it seemed heavier than it normally was.

She didn't think anyone had asked her what she thought of all of this. Not really.

Everyone else seemed to be more hurt by this than she was. She felt like a fraud, having everyone fussing over her and constantly checking in with her. And nothing was actually wrong. Her arm was healing, her bruises were gone, and she had put on most of the weight she had lost.

She was _fine_.

"I… I don't really think I need to be here." Sakura admitted, fiddling with her shirt. "I'm not… not that, you know, traumatised or anything."

Anko nodded slightly, eyes intense. They were a cooler shade of hazel than Lady Tsunade's, more gold than honey.

Sakura felt a little pinned by the gaze. Something about Anko made her nervous. "I mean… it's just like, I wasn't even badly hurt- and…" Sakura looked at her lap. "I don't even remember anything from when I was down there." She lied.

Anko again said nothing, just watching Sakura silently. Finally, she shifted, crossing her legs. "You're a smart woman, Sakura." She said quietly. "Got into one of the most competitive programs in the country, top of your class, mentoring under the greatest doctor to have ever lived."

Sakura didn't know what Anko was getting at.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't think something was wrong." Anko concluded.

Sakura stared at Anko, shocked.

"You think cause you didn't get hurt, or cause it wasn't that bad, that you shouldn't be here. Cause other people have it worse, right?" Anko said. She shook her head, continuing on without waiting for Sakura to answer. "Everyone's got problems, Sakura. It's not a competition."

Sakura was a little uncomfortable with how quickly Anko had seen through her. When they had been talking earlier, Anko had been brash and loud, even vulgar at points. It seemed completely out of left field.

"Why don't you just… start at the beginning." Anko encouraged, not gentle, but not harsh. It was a strange balance.

Sakura didn't know where to start. She didn't really know what she was feeling.

She barely knew Sayaka, had met her a handful of times before the night of the incident. They weren't anything but acquaintances.

Anko waited patiently, looking at Sakura steadily, no expectation on her face whatsoever, just quiet contemplation.

The room was quiet for a few long minutes.

"It's weird… but I… I'm upset that she didn't actually want to be my friend." Sakura said slowly, twisting her fingers around and around. "I… I never really- Well, I'm not like Ino and Naruto, y'know, I don't make friends as easily and I thought…"

"You thought?" Anko prompted quietly.

Sakura swallowed, sagging. "Ino and Naruto wanted to go on their stupid ghost hunt, but I didn't want to- I just wanted to see the artefacts and stuff- and Sayaka, she agreed with me, you know, sided with me and made fun of the others with me, it was like… we were friends." She took a deep breath, startled by the onset of hot tears welling in her eyes. "I thought that she… that she actually _liked_ me."

She felt like a big idiot, getting upset over something this stupid. Sayaka had tried to _kill_ her- had nearly succeeded and Sakura was here crying because she didn't have friends.

"God it's so stupid- she tried to kill me and I'm having a cry over her not wanting to be _friends_." She continued, rubbing her eyes harshly.

"No, it's not stupid, Sakura." Anko said firmly. "This wasn't someone you'd never met, it wasn't a random, senseless act of violence. It was personal, maybe not for her, but for you. She lied to you and breached your trust. Something like that cuts a lot deeper than I think a lot of us realise."

Sakura still felt dumb. "She smiled as she… After she pushed me. I saw it." She said stiffly, having to force the words out past the lump in her throat. "She was _smiling_ \- after she pretended to be my friend and tried to kill me, and she was just smiling. Like, like it was…"

"Funny." Anko finished, voice firm and strong. There was no judgement or anger in her voice, just simple fact.

It was comforting in a weird, sort of way. "Yeah." Sakura murmured. she picked at her shorts. "I thought maybe I was seeing things, y'know. But then… in the courtroom, she was just so… cold. She didn't look sorry- she just… didn't look like anything at all."

Anko shifted. "I'm sure you already know what Sayaka was, in medical terms."

"Psychopath."

The therapist hummed. "I don't need to explain to you, then." She said.

Sakura didn't need an explanation. She'd done the intro to psych course all med students did. She'd read the notes about how many of them lived perfectly normal lives. She had read the textbook which detailed how famous ones manipulated and tricked people, charming their way out of everything.

She had thought it was a load of crock.

No one could fake that. Right?

"Sakura."

She looked up.

Anko smiled at her, a half smile, not gentle or soft like everyone else's. "Why did you come today?"

Sakura sagged. She hadn't slept well, not since Sayaka had died.

She didn't think she had slept a full night since then, staying up late into the night, exhausted but almost refusing to fall asleep. And then when she did fall asleep, she would wake only a few hours later, sick to her stomach and sweaty, imagining grasping tendrils of nothing and Sayaka's hands scratching and shoving at her. "I have nightmares." She admitted.

Anko nodded.

Sakura was surprised by how hard it was to say that. She had always thought herself big enough to admit when she needed help, but doing it now just made her small and weak.

"I thought so." Anko said, glancing down. She made a face at whatever was on her notes.

It was surprisingly hard. She had always thought of herself as big enough to admit when she needed help, but doing it now just made her feel small and weak.

"Have you had one recently?"

Sakura rubbed her eyes. She could still see the afterimage of Sayaka's smile, eyes bloodshot and skin mottled purple, red, and white. "I had one last- this morning." She said in a rush of air. It had woken her up around two am and left her unable to go back to sleep, terrified she might not wake up in her bed. "Sometimes I'm back down in the well and the mud is choking me, or… or…" Sakura stuttered, throat closing and heart beginning to race as she remembered Sayaka's red grin and black, empty eyes.

Anko nodded. "Okay." She said kindly. She got up, giving Sakura a reprieve for a moment.

Sakura rubbed her eyes, more to hide her face than anything.

"Here." Anko said, sitting back down and leaning forward to hold something out to Sakura. It was a small journal, brightly coloured and cheerful. "I want you to write down when you have these nightmares and what happened. Bullet points, a whole paragraph, whatever you like."

Sakura made a face. That sounded dangerously close to the 'woo woo' dream meaning stuff her mother was into. "And what? They're just dreams."

Anko snorted. "Exactly. They're _just_ dreams. I'm not implying you need to find some sort of divine meaning in them, Sakura. But these nightmares right now, would you say that they have power over you?"

Sakura thought about how tired she always was. "Yeah."

The dark haired woman nodded, matter of fact and sure. "I just want you to write them down, keep it simple, impersonal. It helps put them back where they're supposed to be, as just dreams." She waved the journal at Sakura meaningfully.

Sakura took the journal gingerly. It was another colourful one, similar to the one in Anko's lap. Though instead of fat, dancing snakes, it had smiling peacocks, bright tails fanned out and wings spread to the sky.

"You don't have to give it back to me." Anko said. "And don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to read them to me or anything. The journal is just for you, it can be something you fill up and keep, or you can toss it out when you feel like you don't need it anymore."

Sakura flipped through the hardcover journal experimentally. It was lined, another dancing peacock in the bottom left hand corner of each page.

"That's not the only homework I have for you." Anko said briskly. She winked at Sakura. "No faces, missy, I know you're on break."

Sakura didn't even know she had been making a face.

"There's a little checklist in the back for you." Anko said, leaning forward to open the journal to the back page.

Sure enough, there was a neatly penned checklist there for her.

Grounding exercises.

* * *

It was sweltering outside, the sun beating down harshly. It wasn't humid anymore, not after the rain had cleared up, but the sheer heat made it almost as bad as the humidity.

Sakura squinted at the sky grumpily, and then dug around in her backpack for her sunglasses. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she tsked at it impatiently, still looking for her sunglasses.

It kept buzzing so Sakura abandoned her search for her sunglasses and instead ducked into the piddling shade of a nearby awning, answering it. "Hello?"

" _Oh Bun! How did it go?"_ Her father asked jovially. Sakura could hear the fan in her tiny apartment kitchen whirring away.

Sakura tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder, resuming her search for her missing glasses. "It was okay." She said slowly. It had been okay- Anko was nice, refreshingly brusque and blunt, something that Sakura appreciated after how everyone had been tiptoeing around her the last few weeks. "She's nice."

" _You like her? She listens, yeah?"_ Her father asked worriedly.

"Yeah. She does and I do." Sakura said with a smile, crouching down to open her backpack properly. "She doesn't like… you know like mum- I know she means well but-"

" _She can be a bit overbearing."_ Her father finished with a chuckle. _"Well, that's why we love her, eh Bun?"_

Sakura snorted, opening her mouth to retort when a shadow fell over her, blocking the sun. Looking up, Sakura nearly dropped her phone in surprise at seeing Madara standing over her. "Uh… Dad, I gotta go."

" _Oh- Okay then! I'll see you when you get back, okay! I'm making…"_

Sakura stopped listening to him, saying goodbye absently before she hung up. She hadn't expected him to show up so quickly. In fact, she wasn't even sure if he would come at all. But here he was. "You came."

He examined her with proud, half lidded eyes. He was dressed better this time too, the navy cotton shirt hugging his shoulders and arms, the sleeves pushed to his elbows. His jeans looked as if they had been tailored as well, and his hair was brushed for once, pulled back in a low ponytail that made him look almost like Itachi. "You called." He said back, voice dripping with irritation.

Sakura was nervous, seeing him again. They had not parted on the best of terms. And while she was not going to forgive them so easily for Sayaka or the three other lives they had taken, she was a big enough person to admit she may have acted too rashly. "I needed to talk to you."

The street was crowded and loud and Madara had to step out of the way of a harried businesswoman. "Speak." He commanded.

Sakura ignored him. By now, she was used to his particular brand of rudeness. "Not here, it's too noisy." She said, bending to pick up her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. Her cast itched and she shook her arm impatiently, sick of the heavy, annoying thing. "C'mon there's a park nearby."

"We can speak here." Madara said, irritation palpable. He waved his left arm and Sakura saw, if only for a brief moment, the spark of red under his skin.

And then, just like the last time they had met, there was pressure on Sakura's ears and the back of her head, as if she was underwater. For a moment, everything seemed sluggish and slow and then amazingly, everything around them slowed and then stopped.

The cars driving by slowed and then stopped, their drivers staring blankly, some with their mouths open as they spoke to their passengers. The people on the crosswalk froze mid step, eerily, unnaturally still.

Sakura goggled, looking up and around in amazement. Overhead, there was a bird frozen mid flap. "You stopped time-"

"Slowed it." Madara said impatiently.

Sakura couldn't help the smile. It was impossible and yet here it was, time slowed to a crawl, slowed to the point where everything appeared still. "That's amazing-"

"Sakura!" Madara snapped loudly. "Speak or I will leave."

Sakura glowered at him for dismissing something like this so easily. "Fine." She said. "I need your help finding Sasuke."

Madara glared at her. "Why?" He demanded.

Sakura refused to be cowed by him. He was always trying to bully her into silence or submission, and she wasn't having it anymore. She may have done it before, when she was tired, sick, and injured, but not anymore. "Because I need to speak with him and he's not answering me."

He tilted his head, silky hair falling over one eye. "You could command him to come. You seem to have no problem with using it."

Sakura didn't like the tone of voice he was using. He made her sound like some sort of tyrant. Compared to them, she was nothing. She had a tiny bit of power, and she was not going to be shamed into not using it. She wasn't on an even playing field, and she was going to use everything to her advantage. "Before this, we've spoken twice. Don't tell me what I like to do because you don't know." She snapped. "I need to apologise to him. And I would rather not force him to come."

"So you would force your company on him?"

"What the Hell is your problem?" Sakura exploded, good mood from Anko's advice fading into frustration and anger. "Ever since I've met you, all you've done is disparage and belittle me. You make me out to be this weak, awful person-"

"Why?" Madara cut in, "Because you have made it abundantly clear that you despise me. You have made up your mind about my brothers and I, have judged as guilty. You are welcome to do that, but you have also fallen in with the being who tortured and tormented my little brother and that, to me, is a greater insult than your dislike of me." Madara said, voice frighteningly calm.

Sakura was lost for words. This sort of anger wasn't something she was used to- she had never seen cold anger before, and it was scarier than she imagined.

"I live to protect my family and I _will_ do that, regardless of you or your friend, Sakura." He promised, a sort of finality in his tone. "I will protect my family from Koharu, and _especially_ from you."

Sakura recoiled at the venom. "From _me_?"

Madara looked at her steadily, expression cold. "I do not like you, Sakura. You are stupid and naive. But more than that, you are weak willed, allowing anyone and everyone to walk all over you-"

"I really don't care if you like me or not." Sakura interrupted furiously. "I am doing the best I can with the hand I've been dealt. My world has been turned _upside down_ in a matter of two months."

He looked almost offended by her outburst.

"I was nearly _murdered_ by a girl I thought was my friend. I had to choose between my life and unleashing whatever the fuck _you're supposed to be_ , and now I have to deal with _you_ and your brothers having a goddamn temper tantrum." Sakura hissed, exhausted and angry.

Madara's eyes narrowed.

Her face was hot, her stomach hollow with rage. "So don't you _ever_ call me weak."

The air between them was taut with tension. It felt even worse with the world brought to a standstill, because it just reinforced how truly alone she was in all of this.

The sun and heat were oppressively hot, and Sakura hated how sticky and sweaty she was in comparison to Madara, who was seemingly unaffected by it all.

Madara stared at her for a long time, expression furious. However, he stepped back, expression clearing just a little bit. Finally, he nodded. "I apologise. It was a low blow."

The apology shocked Sakura. Not because he had said it, but rather because it seemed rather sincere. "It was. I am doing my best. I don't know who to trust anymore, because it seems like everywhere I turn, there is another person who is hiding something from me in order to get something from me-"

" _Can I ask you something?"_

" _That's what I'm being paid for." Anko joked, looking up from her notebook. "Ask away."_

 _Sakura worried her bottom lip, twisting her fingers around each other. "What would you do if someone lied to you?" She asked finally, words blurring together from how quickly she had spoken._

"-and no one is telling me anything." She said, exasperated. "Every time I get just a little bit of information, something else is thrown in there that just raises more and more questions."

Madara looked unmoved by her frustration, but he nodded anyway. "That is why you called me?" He asked.

Sakura shook her head. She had meant what she said, she couldn't trust anyone, not really. If she wanted to figure out what was going on, what the Uchiha wanted, what Koharu wanted, she was going to have to do it herself. She wasn't about to go begging for scraps of information and be a blindly led dog for whatever it was they wanted her to believe.

But Madara didn't need to know that.

"I asked you to come because we have a common enemy." She said.

 _Anko narrowed her eyes at her, closing the notebook slowly. "Well it depends. What did they lie about?"_

" _They lied to you about who they were, t-to get something from you." Sakura stuttered. "They pretended to be your friend, and then turned around and…" She trailed off, unsure of how to word what she wanted to say._

Madara's expression changed, surprise and intrigue flashing over his features. "Koharu?" He asked.

Sakura glared at him, but her anger was directed more at the woman who had played her for a fool. "She wants something from me. Enough to hide who she was and deliberately insert herself into my life. At first, I thought it was just protection from Sasuke but after what I…" She frowned as she remembered Karin's longing look at the totem. "Now I'm not so sure that's all she wants from me."

 _Anko leaned back in her chair, examining Sakura closely. She seemed to come to a conclusion, nodding to herself. "Something like that is a rather serious breach of trust. Leads to a lot of resentment and anger. If someone did that to me, I would cut them out of my life, for my own mental health. If you let it linger, it eats away at you."_

 _That wasn't what Sakura wanted to hear. She knew she should just let Koharu and the Uchiha kill each other, just wash her hands of all of this. But seeing Karin, not much older than her, down in that dark water_ …

"No indeed." Madara agreed. "She and her siblings have always craved power. You have that power. If she controls you, she can control us."

Sakura had considered that as well. "Whatever power she wants, she's not getting it from me." She said firmly. And Koharu wouldn't. Not after what Sakura had seen down on the bottom of the ocean. "But for now, I'm not going to let you just kill her-"

One of Madara's eyebrows rose and Sakura noticed that they were perfectly shaped and full.

"Karin is still trapped-"

"Karin?" Madara repeated suddenly, head snapping around. "How do you know that name?"

Sakura stared at him in confusion. "Shisui? He took me down to see her- he wanted to show me what Koharu was really capable of. He said that he, Kagami and Sasuke-"

Madara's face was thunderous. "He went- He did not touch her, did he?"

Sakura was taken aback by the sudden flash of what looked like fear on his face.

But… Madara couldn't be afraid of something-

Sakura remembered, very vividly, Shisui's own expression when he had stumbled back into the creek. He had been afraid of something… "He didn't touch her, but he did freak out just as we were about to leave. He went into like a trance for a few minutes and it was like he couldn't hear me. When he finally came back, he like… panicked or something."

Madara's expression was dark. Not angry, but something deeper and more violent than that. "And then?"

Sakura shook her head. Shisui still hadn't come back, not matter how many times she had held her rock and reached out to him. "He took me home and then vanished. He won't answer me now."

The deity in front of her had an ugly look on his face. It marred his handsome features. "That little… He was told not to go down there but does he listen?" He hissed, and then in his strange language, he snapped something else.

Sakura guessed it was less than complimentary. "Why? What's going on? Why did he freak out?" She demanded.

"I cannot begin to explain why he was upset." Madara said stiffly, mouth twitching in dislike as the order took effect. "I am not Shisui. As for what is going on…"

Sakura folded her arms.

"Long ago, there was a being who… coveted Shisui." Madara ground out unwillingly. "It ended badly for us all the last time they were allowed to meet. Kagami suspects that whatever dark magics Koharu used to bind Karin here has something to do with that being."

Sakura itched to ask more questions, but she refused to give Madara a way to worm out of answering her questions, so she kept her half-baked conclusions to herself.

"He was warned away for his own protection." Madara said. "If Koharu has struck some sort of deal with the being for power- then it is no coincidence that Karin's prison is in Shisui's domain. She is a lure, in more ways than one."

Immediately, Sakura understood.

A lure.

But not for _just_ for Sasuke.

No doubt, Karin's imprisonment was a cruel jab at Sasuke. But if what Madara was saying was true, then…

Shisui seemed to embody water, she had found him in it, Konoha had flooded when he had freed, it rained when he came to her- the ocean. He was quite clearly tied to the water. And Karin, stuck down in the ocean, where he swam… the former lover of his younger brother, of course he would go there to try and free her.

"Why did this being covet him?" Sakura asked. Madara was playing coy, not giving her a name. It would make her research that much harder, but then, Sakura was Lady Tsunade's student. Something as trivial as that wasn't going to slow her down any.

Madara's expression softened into something that was almost happy. "He is unique, even amongst us." He said. "A gift only he possesses, it made him the envy of many."

And immediately, Sakura understood. Shisui's eyes.

The one's he had killed to get back.

But the way Madara was talking- it didn't seem like he was talking about the same being that Shisui had mentioned.

"He must have seen something." Sakura said quietly. "He left so quickly."

Madara nodded solemnly. "I had wondered about…" He said, eyes flicking up to the sky for a brief second.

It was a clear day, and it had been lovely and clear for the past two weeks, the sun shining bright, the clouds scattered. The rain had cleared over Konoha, as had the ever-present humidity that came along with it.

Sakura had already figured out that the sudden disappearance of the water, not just from Konoha, but also drought stricken Suna, had something to do with Shisui's disappearance. Suna had been expecting the rain depression over Konoha to hit them last week, but it didn't. The clouds came to Suna, and then stayed, dark and heavy with water that didn't fall.

Sakura had figured out it wasn't Shisui's storm, but Sasuke's, when the news had spoken about the unusual amount of lightning strikes in the area.

That was her other reason for wanting to find Sasuke. Maybe if she apologised, he would let the rain fall.

"All the more reason why we need to work together." Sakura said, not mentioning any of her deductions to Madara. It would do her no favours. "Karin, Sasuke, and now Shisui."

"You have a plan." Madara said, surprised.

Sakura was kind of irritated he was surprised. How stupid did he think she was? "She thinks I've fallen for her trick completely. She doesn't know that I know who she is." She shrugged. "If she dies now, then Karin will never be freed. So we use her to find out how to do that, and the day Karin is free, you can kill Koharu." She promised.

Madara's eyes narrowed. He examined her closely for a moment and then, "Perhaps not a rabbit after all." He murmured. He lifted his chin, haughty and proud. "Fine. I will help you find Sasuke, if only to end the Ilry's pathetic existence. She has tormented my brothers long enough."

Ilry?

Koharu's original name?

Sakura tucked that away for later, itching to write it down and scour the tome she had in her bedroom. "Thank you."

Madara nodded and then snapped his fingers. Again, another spark of red.

The pressure came back, pressing down on her eardrums and the back of her head, slowing everything down to a crawl. Her forehead pounded with the extra pressure and her jaw felt heavy. Finally it was over, and Sakura's ears equalised as the cars resumed driving, the people started walking and the breeze once again blew through the trees.

"Come." Madara said imperiously, turning on his heel and walking away. "Sasuke is not in Konoha."

Sakura wandered after him, buzzing with questions. She doubted very much that Madara would tell her anything, but if she was a betting woman, she would wager that Kagami or Itachi would be more forthcoming. Itachi if only to try and cajole her into trusting him more.

And Kagami… Well, Sakura wasn't quite sure about Kagami.

"Where is he?" She asked, catching up with Madara's long legged stride. It was times like this that she wished she was male, if only so people would actually take her seriously.

Madara shrugged, and as they walked, the whole worl around them, all the colours blurring and blending together, shapes distorting and vanishing into a myriad of colour and noise. Before Sakura could even really think about what was happening, it was over.

And they were no longer in a sunny Konoha street, busy with people going about their days. Now the sky overhead was dark with black and green storm clouds, and the wind snapped and howled around them, alternating between gusting and dead silence.

They were in an empty car park, the asphalt pitted with potholes and gravel. A beach stretched out in front of them, the waves whipped into a frenzy of white and grey by the wind.

Sakura grimaced, turning away from the sand that was being swept off the beach, salt stinging her eyes. "Where are we?"

Madara seemed unbothered by the sudden change of scenery. "I believe you call it Sunagakure?" He said lightly, almost amused. He looked up at the sky and a moment later, thunder boomed through the air, right above them.

It was so loud that Sakura's ears rung.

The afternoon, made dark by the thick clouds, was suddenly lit by a flash of lightning. Madara gestured at the clouds lazily. "Sasuke." He said drolly, and for a moment, Sakura thought he was going to laugh.

Sakura looked up at the sky. She hadn't tried to call Sasuke since she had found out the truth about Koharu. She was ashamed for having treated him the way she did. She had overreacted and freaked out.

Where was her cool head under pressure now?

Admittedly, she had been stressed and her introduction to his family had hardly been something to inspire confidence.

But Sakura had had the same doubts about Koharu, and she had ignored them.

She sighed, strained by the complicated situation. Even after her break from it all, just puttering around on her parents farm, playing with her friends and her dog, it was still a heavy burden to bear. And it wasn't as if she could just pretend it didn't exist.

Madara was watching her with laughter in his eyes. And Sakura wished she could tell him to go smirk somewhere else.

"Sas-"

A bolt of white lightning slammed into the ground right in front of Madara, cracking the concrete with a loud crack. The air stunk of burning ozone.

Sakura shrieked, jumping and nearly falling over in her fright.

A second later, lightning struck the ground right in front of them, blinding Sakura. A boom of thunder echoed around the beach a split second after, loud enough to rattle Sakura's teeth in her head.

When she opened her eyes, Sasuke was there, eyes blazing red in the darkness of the afternoon and shirt missing. His face twisted with fury at the sight of her and he stalked forward, moving faster than she expected.

Briefly, she saw that the lighting that had split the ground wasn't lightning at all, but a sword, glowing white hot.

Sasuke ripped it from the bitumen with a loud snap, splitting it further, until the crack nearly reached Sakura. He shoved past his eldest brother, glaring at Sakura.

Sakura scrambled back, frightened that he might slice her in half with that wickedly sharp blade. Her heart raced in her chest and she clutched her backpack more tightly, wondering if she had made a mistake in allowing Madara to bring her here-

Neither of these deities were her friends-

Sasuke's face twisted in some sort of mix of satisfaction and anger.

Sakura froze, breath catching in her throat when he spun the sword in a fan of hypnotic white light and then lifted it to rest just below her jaw, the edge barely touching her throat. She tried not to move, terrified beyond anything that she experienced in the mountain.

" _What_ ," Sasuke hissed, furious, "do you want?"

"I-"

"You sent me away, did not you? For being a liar, and a trickster, and someone who only serves to lie and manipulate you." He accused, sharp and angry. "You could not even bring yourself to look at me, so sure that I was wholly undeserving of your trust and company."

Sakura swallowed, muscles taut. Everything in her was screaming for her to plead, to cry, to run away- to do anything!

"So then why come to me, when I am so untrustworthy?" Sasuke demanded. "Why would you deign to come to speak to a _lowly liar, Sakura_?" He asked, mocking her cruelly.

His eyes narrowed at her silence, but Sakura was frozen by some primitive part of her.

"Because I…" She managed to splutter finally. "I was wrong."

The forest was still, the heat oppressive and the air heavy. The sky above hung heavy with rainclouds. Sasuke's eyes narrowed further and she saw his grip on his sword tighten, knuckles white.

She didn't say anything more, hoping that the sincerity in her words would reach his ears.

The hot edge of the blade pressed into her neck for a brief second longer and then Sasuke yanked it away, still glaring. Lowering it to his side, he lifted his chin haughtily, the same thing Madara had done earlier. It made them look eerily similar.

It was obviously a demand for her to explain. Sakura relaxed slightly. Looking at Sasuke, from what little she knew of him, the few times they had spoken, he didn't seem like he was truly angry. "I researched her." She said. "Her name is Koharu- the same one who you accused me of working for, when we first met." Her voice cracked.

It seemed like they had met just yesterday, and at the same time, like this whole thing had dragged on for years.

"Shisui showed me what she did to Karin." Sakura whispered.

And right there, for the briefest of seconds, she saw his façade crack ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry." She said honestly. "I should have listened to you about her."

He stared at her for a long time. She could see Madara watching them from a little distance away, head tilted in interest.

Sakura had nothing else to say, nothing that wouldn't cheapen the apology. She wanted to explain why she had been so upset, but at the same time, she didn't want to make excuses. So instead, she just waited.

Sasuke snorted, looking down his nose at her and then in one smooth, easy movement, turned on his heel and walked away.

Sakura stared after him. Was that it?

Apparently it was, because there was another flash of blinding light and Sasuke was gone, leaving the air stinking of burning oxygen and ozone, acrid and bitter.

Sakura wait a beat, looking at Madara for an explanation.

In response, he merely raised an eyebrow.

Sakura sighed, looking up at the sky. She wondered if Sasuke had accepted her apology or not. His abrupt exit seemed to indicate that maybe he was still angry with her for accusing him of lying- she probably would be. "Well that went well." She muttered.

"Sasuke is a child." Madara sniffed. "He enjoys dramatics."

Sakura gave him a flat look. _Sasuke enjoyed dramatics_ , like Madara didn't. She had seen the remnants of the mountain, split in two, the newly exposed rock blindingly white. The landslides and rock falls had devastated several properties along the base of it. But sure, _Sasuke_ was the dramatic one.

Madara stared at her, oblivious.

Genuinely, Sakura had been sorry for yelling at Sasuke. While she didn't understand why he couldn't see why killing Sayaka was wrong, she did understand that she had acted rather cruelly. She just hoped he believed her apology.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her. Sakura jumped, groping for it automatically. It was a strange juxtaposition, having a modern marvel in her pocket, something so aggressively normal, and then having Madara, a literal god, standing not two feet from her.

Sakura finally got it out and then looked up when something cold fell on her head.

Lifting her hand, a drop of water landed in her palm and then as if it was a signal, the heavens opened, and the rain poured down. The drops were fat and heavy, freezing cold. Within seconds, the ground was saturated, raindrops splashing in the puddles that had already formed on the uneven pavement of the carpark.

Sakura's phone buzzed in her hand again, more insistent this time. Looking down, she saw that it was Koharu. No doubt ringing her to welcome her back to Konoha after her extended stay at her parents place.

She would never look at the kindly old woman- or any kindly old woman, the same way again. It was unfathomable to Sakura, to so easily slip into the role of sweet, kindly grandmother and _lie_ , over and over and over again. more than hurtful, it was infuriating.

And not all of her anger was directed at Koharu.

Some of it was anger that she hadn't noticed she'd be duped.

But most of it was anger that someone had taken advantage of her, when she was weak and sick. Someone had tricked her for nothing but their own gain, for their own selfish purposes because they were too cowardly to face the consequences for their actions.

For all of Koharu's supposed strength, that's exactly what she was.

A coward.

" _Can I ask you something?"_

" _That's what I'm being paid for." Anko joked, looking up from her notebook. "Ask away."_

 _Sakura worried her bottom lip, twisting her fingers around each other. "What would you do if someone lied to you?" She asked finally, words blurring together from how quickly she had spoken._

 _Anko narrowed her eyes at her, closing the notebook slowly. "Well it depends. What did they lie about?"_

" _They lied to you about who they were, t-to get something from you." Sakura stuttered. "They pretended to be your friend, and then turned around and…" She trailed off, unsure of how to word what she wanted to say._

" _What… about as a person?" Sakura asked slowly._

 _Anko sighed heavily, mouth pulling up as she thought. "As a person? Well…I wouldn't let it go without making sure they knew how much they hurt me. If someone lied to me, tricked me, I wouldn't let them get away with it. I'd get even."_

" _But that's not advice, okay?" Anko said, smiling suddenly. "I don't want to hear about you going around breaking hearts, you got it?"_

 _Sakura smiled. "Course not."_

" _Good."_

Madara was looking at her phone, shameless. His eyes were half lidded, and Sakura saw the vindictive satisfaction there when he met her gaze. "Well?"

* * *

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH.

I'm such a ho for unnecessary dramatics. Also, can you tell that I've been watching the game cutscenes on yt?

You can.

You totally can.

Anyone wanna guess which one?

Anyway, who's excited for MK11? Meeeeee. Erron looking like a snac in his new jacket, Cassie's new haircut, GERAS.

Only thing that's missing is Sub Zero's amazing beard from MKX.


	17. Day 60: Misdirection

I THOUGHT IT WAS MIDSEMESTER BREEEEEEAK.

It's not.

We went lore heavy this week, so put ya conspiracy theory caps on! Also, I can't find my lore book and so, if you come back in a week and the chapter's changed, it's because I've found said book, and realised I got something wrong.

Lel.

* * *

Day 60: Misdirection

"Sayaka, be careful!" Sakura almost shouted, reaching out to the other girl.

"Can you shine your phone here?" Sayaka asked, ignoring Sakura's warning completely.

 _Don't._

Sakura obediently pulled out her phone, turning on the torch anyway. The wall of the well lit up. The writing there shifted and blurred, in and out of focus. Sometimes it looked so tantalisingly decipherable, and others it was so far removed from anything Sakura knew.

 _Turn around._

"Do you see that?" Sayaka asked, voice hushed. "What does it say? Can you read it?"

Sakura shook her head. There was a cold feeling in her stomach, and she felt the hair on her arms rise in response to the frigid air rising out of the well. "I don't know. It's probably just more graffiti." She said. "Sayaka, I think we should find the others." She said, unsure why she was so nervous. She had never been one to find haunted houses or paranormal stories frightening but there was something very unsettling about that well.

 _Run._

"Oh okay." Sayaka said, leaning back and pushing herself back to standing. She dusted her hands off on her jeans. "Can you take a photo of it though? I want to show Naruto when we get back and I left my phone in the car." She asked, smiling at Sakura prettily.

Sakura didn't want to smile back, but she did anyway. She opened the camera app on her phone, hands moving without her permission.

Sayaka stepped back so she wasn't blocking the shot, like she always did, and Sakura felt her brush against her side.

Sakura's finger hovered over the button to take the photo and then she took it, the answering flash so bright it blinded her briefly. When she opened her eyes again, the room was quiet.

"Thanks for that." Sayaka said, voice odd sounding.

Sakura turned.

Sayaka smiled at her, gums and teeth red with blood. Her eyes were dripping black, the skin around them white, the bright red of her veins a horrible, beautiful contrast. She was in that green prison jumpsuit, hair pulled back into the beautiful ponytail, like the day of her death. "Now I have proof to show Naruto." She slurred.

Sakura backed away, clutching her phone. "Stay away-"

"No." Sayaka interrupted. "It's not done. You were meant to die."

Sakura's heart was so loud, she was hot and cold all at the same time.

"Why couldn't you just die?!" Sayaka accused, voice cracking from the strain.

Sakura wanted to run away, but her feet were stuck to the ground. She couldn't move, though every muscle in her body was screaming at her to get away, to get back to Ino and Naruto, to hide, to run, to _do something_.

"It's okay." Sayaka said, calming down abruptly. She smiled again, and Sakura saw that the blood vessels in her eyes had popped, leaving her red eyed and horrific. "It's okay, cause you came back and now we can finish it-"

Sayaka attacked in the middle of her sentence, slamming into the Sakura, trying to push her bodily into the well. Sakura dug her heels in, scratching and clawing at the dark haired woman desperately, terrified of that yawning pit behind her.

Sayaka slapped her across the face, so hard that Sakura's head rang and her lip split.

 _Just like last time._

But Sakura kept her footing, grabbing Sayaka wildly when the other girl went to shove her in the chest. She clawed at her blindly, desperation making her strong.

Sayaka hissed when Sakura pulled her hair-

-they staggered back-

-Sakura's foot met nothing but air and she saw Sayaka's eyes widen in horror-

-and then-

-they fell.

And fell.

And fell.

They hit the bottom of the well, the stinking, soft mud that had been the start of all of this horror.

Somewhere along the way, Sayaka had let her go and Sakura slapped at the wall, bursting into tears at the horrible coldness starting to suck at her sides, her legs.

The grate, there was a handle-

A hand fisted in her hair, yanking her head back so fast that Sakura thought it was going to break. She screamed, grabbing Sayaka's wrist, digging her nails in an attempt to get her to let go. "We're both going to die if you don't let me go!" She wailed.

Sayaka grinned down at her, the mud mixing with the blood. "I'm already dead!" She said triumphantly.

They struggled in the mud, it sucking them deeper and deeper.

Sayaka was strong, unnaturally strong and she knocked Sakura away from the wall, and then threw herself on top of Sakura, straddling her waist, even as her knees sunk into the stinking, pitch black mud. "And now its your turn." She said, grinning as she shoved Sakura's shoulders down and down and down.

The mud was alive, grabbing at Sakura, sucking her arms down, creeping up the side of her neck-

Sakura twisted away in terror, tears streaking down her face. "No, no, no, no-"

Sayaka's grin was maniacal, making her pretty face nigh unrecognisable. "We would never hurt you, Sakura!" She mocked in Obito's voice and then she shoved Sakura's head under the mud-

-and Sakura hit freezing cold water, the cold enough to knock the air from her lungs and leave her gasping for air.

She plunged deep into the choppy waters, salt stinging her eyes, the water pitch black. Her clothes were heavy, weighing her down, pulling her down. Sakura struck out frantically, clawing at the water and kicking as hard as she could, straining for the brief flashes of light on the surface.

But the cold seeped into her, locking insidious fingers around her limbs, her lungs.

She needed to breathe!

A freezing hand, burning with icy cold, slapped around her ankle.

Sakura screamed, thrashing wildly and when she looked down, she saw a cloud of white hair and empty, accusing white eyes.

Karin stared up at her from the black depths below, pale white hand clamped around her ankle. Sakura could see the black chains around Karin's wrists, snaking back into the dark water below her. Karin pulled, hard, dragging Sakura down, away from the light.

Sakura shrieked, bubbles escaping her mouth as she thrashed and her flailing foot caught Karin in the chin, knocking her away. Sakura clawed at the water, kicking her way free and trying desperately to reach the surface.

Her lungs screamed for air.

Something cold and hard whipped around her neck, choking her and yanking her back violently. Scrabbling at her throat, Sakura was horrified to find it was a chain.

It dragged her back down, tightening to the point of pain.

Someone giggled and Sakura looked around wildly.

Sayaka grabbed her arm, puling it away from her throat, dark hair swimming around her face. Her eyes glowed red and black, mouth open and spilling black blood into the water.

Karin's hand locked around her bicep, icy cold on her arm, fingernails digging deep into her skin.

Sakura opened her mouth to scream, choking on water and salt as Karin and Sayaka dragged her down into the darkness.

Sakura woke violently, hands lashing out as she tried to get away. Her heart was racing, and her shoulders hurt for some reason, every muscle in her body taut with fear and stress as it reacted to an imaginary threat.

Her covers were tangled around her, and she shoved them away shakily, a sob rising in her throat.

Her room was temperate, the air dry, but even so, Sakura was sweaty and flushed, goosebumps rising on her skin.

Sakura gasped, curling up around herself, tears already prickling at her eyes. Her chest felt sore and tight, like she really had been drowning.

She could still feel the cold tendrils of mud slapping at her skin, her hair. And this time had only been worse, despite her writing down her nightmares like Anko said. Karin had been there this time.

She had never been there before.

Sakura shivered at the memory of Karin's white eyes and leaned over to turn on her lamp, hating the darkness. She found herself like this most early mornings, falling into fitful nap after fitful nap, unwilling to close her eyes just in case the dreams became real, and Sayaka appeared in her room.

Sighing, Sakura rubbed her eyes. She was exhausted, not just body tired, but her mind was crying out for rest too.

But she knew she wouldn't sleep anymore tonight, not after a dream like that. So instead, she did what she always did when she couldn't sleep, she picked up her textbooks, her notebooks, and her pens, and dumped them on her bed.

 _A Comprehensive Collection of the Myths and Legends of the Noble Families of Konoha._

Sakura turned to the page she had marked. No matter how much she looked up online, she kept coming back to this book. It had a wealth of information that wasn't surrounded by occult or edgy imagery.

So far, she had written down all the names she could pick out in the tiny text, drawing a diagram of the complicated lineage the Uchiha's supposedly descended from. At the top of the messy tree, the Dread Goddess, who Sakura still couldn't find a name for.

 _The Goddess' rage was so great it nearly killed her, and from it, Kaos was born, screaming and furious. The fight raged on, and young Chon, only newly born, fled out of fear and even younger Kaos panicked, frightened by the noise. And then he sent them all away, keeping them apart. And for a time, there was an uneasy peace._

 _Chon was welcomed to the small garden Acu and Magna had created. But it was not only him that came along._

 _Instead, he brought two more young deities. Small, bright Ous, who had oddly coloured hair, split down the middle. And then came Pira, who loved to sing while Chon wove his sash. The three often played together in the garden._

 _The goddess was not finished with her children however, and she got close enough to the frightened Kaos to call out to him. He came to her out of desperation and she took in the young god, nurturing him in what had been his older siblings play area._

 _The peace last a long time, until one night, while the goddess rested, Illu stole into her garden and took the young Kaos with him, having seen what would happen otherwise. Illu left him for his older brother Kro to find, and then hid himself again, unwilling to face Rire._

 _When she discovered the theft of her child, the goddess was distraught._

 _[The next part of the myth has largely been lost to time. And what translations do exist are heavily fragmented and even then, there is little consensus as to the correct translation. I will do my best to give the most unbiased account possible, however it is important to note that by the time this book will be published, there may be new information available. I do encourage any readers of this book to take the time to find any new information if they can.]_

 _The goddess learned of Illu's involvement and she swore revenge on all her children. From her garden, the four quadruplets, agents of discord and unrest, were born and she began to nurture them as she had Kaos._

 _But her own creation was just as wily as she, and the four were uninterested in their overbearing mother, preferring their own company._

 _While the goddess struggled to keep her new children in check, elsewhere, her other children were beginning to expand their garden._

 _Rire encouraged a new form into life, water, and with Chon, he helped shape a beautiful garden. His brother Quili put his hands in the ground, bringing forth new life for his daughter and Kaos to play in, a nursery for the small deities. And Magna brought forth her hands and gave up part of her light to create the stars in the sky._

 _And it was in this new garden, deep in the waters Rire and Chon had created, that Volere and Izli began to stir._

 _The peace ended when young Pira, singing a song to his brothers Ous and Chon, was suddenly struck down from behind. A fatal blow to the heart._

 _And the culprit was never found, nothing but a shadow seen before the young god fell to his knees._

Sakura tapped her pen on the page.

The lineage was screwing with her head, but she knew it was important. She needed to know where the Uchiha stood in this mess, because if she knew that, she might be able to figure out what they were after.

There were clearly two distinct lineages here, because the author had made a point of noting that Kro and Quili, despite sharing a mother and being born at the same time, were _not_ brothers. And Rire and Illu, again, born to the same parent, were never mentioned as brothers either, rather as enemies.

It was odd, because Magna and Acu were always mentioned as sisters.

Sakura rubbed her head.

The only thing she knew for sure was that Quili had apparently married his older sister Acu and had a child, Rin, with her. And she was pretty sure that Chon, Ous, and Pira were related, because the author had referred to them as brothers or… something.

The rest though… Sakura didn't have the faintest idea where they were supposed to go.

Magna, Illu, and Kro all had dark hair, which made her think that maybe they were related too.

But then where did Volere and Izli, the newest set of twins fit? And what about Kaos?

And then there was Asthen.

Unlike all the others, who had come with at least one other, Asthen did not have a counterpart. He had just sprung up, seemingly out of nowhere, and he was alone, which was in itself, enough to pique Sakura's interest.

 _Asthen was awoken from the silence that rang out when Pira's song stopped. He opened eyes grey with exhaustion, pallid from illness, dark hair limp. Unlike his bright, colourful siblings, with their strong hearts and minds, Asthen was grey and quiet._

 _The beautiful lullaby that had soothed him had fallen silent and melancholy Asthen knelt next to the fallen Pira and mourned. The battle raged around him, his siblings enraged by the death of one so young and bright._

 _However, the battle was ended when Asthen, with his grey robes and tired eyes, rose from his place next to Pira and for the first time since his birth, faced his mother head on._

 _And the goddess with no name stopped in her tracks and then without a word, she turned tail and fled, back to her garden._

Sakura was left baffled by that, because _what_ was so frightening to the Dread Goddess that she would up and leave? Especially because, before all this, her children had almost appeared to be irritating rather than a true threat.

That being said, Sakura had an inkling as to who Asthen might _be_ , though not what he _was_.

She had met someone who sounded an awful lot like that quiet, melancholy Asthen.

Itachi was quiet, and he certainly had an air of solemness about him that the others just didn't have. Even from the first time they had met, he had seemed more tired, more weary than his brothers, despite the fact that his prison, comparatively, was the least harrowing.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the description.

Pallid.

Itachi was also sickly looking, despite being a god. He had certainly looked ill the first they had met, and again when she had called them to her on her parents far- god… nearly a month ago.

And then…

" _Here." Itachi murmured, slinging his big, expensive looking trench coat over her shoulders. unlike Madara's all black wardrobe, Itachi's coat was a pretty merle grey colour, and his jumper was a warm brown._

 _He looked a little bit like a schoolteacher with his neat pants and crew necked woollen jumper. He also didn't look any better than the last time they had met. In all honest, he looked even worse, eyes weary, and the ever present circles under them even darker_

 _The lines of stress around his mouth had deepened too, and his skin was more grey than anything. "Madara often forgets that mortals feel the cold more strongly than we do." He said by way of explanation._

 _The rain overhead hadn't stopped, still pouring down on Suna's thirsty soil. However, Itachi's arrival had also brought with it some sort of invisible barrier that kept Sakura from getting wetter. It was a bit late, but Sakura appreciated it, nonetheless. "It's okay." She peered up at him. "But are you sure you don't need it?"_

 _He waved her concern aside. "I am fine."_

" _You don't look fine, Itachi."_

 _He smiled thinly. "I can assure you that I am." He said firmly._

 _Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but Madara and Kagami came over, obviously having ended whatever argument they had been having._

" _We need to discuss how to move forward." Madara said, surly._

 _Kagami looked smug, flicking dark hair out of his eyes._

 _Sakura raised an eyebrow when Itachi sighed._

Sakura rubbed her head again, only just having the presence of mind to flip her pen around, so she didn't end up drawing on her head again.

So if Itachi was Asthen… then where did the others fit? She didn't even know where to begin with slotting them in.

She knew that Madara was the oldest. And that Sasuke was the youngest, but was Kagami older or younger than Obito? And where did Shisui go?

But then… Itachi also fit the description of Illu rather well too. He had dark hair, and in some lights, his eyes did look more blue than black. Illu was good at hiding, and Itachi seemed less a combatant than someone like Sasuke or Madara, and she imagined he would be better suited to quieter tasks.

The only wrench in that was the 'Foresight' ability that Illu supposedly had.

"Which was…" Sakura murmured to herself, flicking back through her notes.

 _Seeing into someone's heart?_ Was all she had written.

And she couldn't remember whether Itachi had ever displayed something like that before.

Well.

Itachi hadn't, but Shisui had known what she was thinking.

But then, Shisui didn't seem to fit with the description of Illu _at all_.

Sakura groaned, burying her head in her hands.

A knock on the front door startled Sakura out of her thoughts.

She looked at the clock of her phone and blinked.

Who on Earth would be knocking on the door at two in the morning?

She waited, almost ducking as if they might see that she was still awake.

And sure enough, they knocked on the door again.

Sakura didn't hear her father moving around to answer it. He was a light sleeper, and right by the entryway, surely the noise would have woken him.

But the unit was quiet.

Sakura got up cautiously, unfolding her legs and skittering to the door of her bedroom nervously. Poking her head out, Sakura saw that her father was still sleeping on the airbed, dead to the world. She had tried to get him to take her bed, but he had refused, insisting that the only invalid here was her.

The knock came again.

Sakura tiptoed out of her bedroom, creeping to the window to peek out. She saw a dark coat, and a head of messy hair. The light that was always on along the row of shabby doors threw a scarred face into shadow.

Obito?

Sakura let the curtain go, bewildered as to why Obito would be here. And knocking, no less.

Skirting around her father, Sakura unlocked the front door gingerly and opened the door a crack. "Obito?" She whispered, raspy from sleep and tiredness.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at her expectantly.

Sakura slipped out of the front door, pulling it half shut behind her and forcing Obito to take a step back. "What- What are you doing here?" She whispered in confusion. She hoped her father wouldn't wake up and demand to know who this glaring stranger was.

That would definitely not go over well.

"I mean… It's like the middle of the night-"

"You called out for help." Obito interrupted.

Sakura blinked.

 _Sayaka's grin was maniacal, making her pretty face nigh unrecognisable. "We would never hurt you, Sakura!" She mocked in Obito's voice and then she shoved Sakura's head under the mud-_

Her heart dropped a little in her chest at the thought of the dream. Swallowing, she tried on a smile. "I did? Oh. Uh… Sorry about that. Must have been having a vivid dream." She lied, trying to laugh it off.

If the Uchiha figured out she was having nightmares, if Koharu knew… Sakura just knew it would give them another avenue to trick her. There was no room for weakness when it came to these rampaging gods, not if she wanted to come out of this unscathed.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly.

Obito examined her with narrow eyes. "You were crying." He pointed out, jerking his chin at her face.

Sakura clapped a hand over her cheek before she could stop herself. "Uh…" She spluttered. "Um…"

Obito sighed, looking irritated as he looked away. In the dim light of the porch, his scar looked far worse. The heavy folds of scarred skin on the left side of his face were angry red and it certainly looked rather painful. "So there is no danger?"

Sakura shook her head awkwardly, fidgeting. "Nope."

He looked annoyed but he didn't immediately leave.

They stood there, in the dim light of the porch, in awkward silence for a few moments.

Sakura didn't think she had actually ever had a proper conversation with any of the Uchiha that didn't involve some sort of supernatural slant, or an argument. Even when she had been with Shisui and he had showed her his little octopus, they had still ended up talking about stolen eyes and godly politics.

"I…" Sakura tried.

Obito raised an eyebrow at her.

Sakura blew out a sigh, frustrated. "I'm not going to say I'm sorry for yelling at you." She said. "You shouldn't have killed those people."

His eyes narrowed even more.

"I know Rin was special to you and it must have hurt a lot to see people disrespecting her monument." Sakura said quickly, wanting to avoid him leaving in a huff again. "But you can't just go around killing people."

Obito said nothing, puffing up indignantly.

"We talked about this, Obito." She said quietly, reaching out to touch him and then pulling back. He didn't look like he would appreciate it very much. "Rin wouldn't want you to hurt people and make them afraid of you. She would want you to be happy. Does killing people really make you happy?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Yes."

Sakura opened her mouth to agree with him, but then his answer registered, and she was left feeling a bit thrown.

That… hadn't been what she was angling for.

At all.

Obito sighed, looking at the roof. "I just want to be left alone." He said eventually. "I want things to go back to the way they were, when Rin and I were left alone. She had her flowers and her streams, and I was happy just to be near her."

Sakura felt for Obito, she really did. "She wouldn't want this, Obito."

He looked at her with tired eyes. "I know."

Silence between them again, but it was easy this time.

"I…" He took a breath. "I have been trying." He admitted.

Sakura looked at him curiously.

"After Rin's garden was destroyed, I set out to find a new one." Obito said, hand moving in his pocket. "She was special, and she deserves to be honoured. I want to make her proud of me again."

Sakura remembered the betrayal in Rin's pretty face after she had come across Obito in the burning village.

Obito frowned, scar pulling the corner of his mouth down. He fidgeted and then pulled his hand out of his pocket, fist clenched. Holding it out towards her, he opened his fingers and showed Sakura a small seed in his palm. It was dwarfed by his palm, and it was a pretty, pastel green colour, growing deeper in colour towards the centre. "Rin used to grow them when we were children." He confided. "After she died, I could only salvage this last one before her garden succumbed."

Sakura was surprised at how careful he was with the tiny little seed. She knew he cared for Rin, but there was something so awfully heartbreaking about him carrying this tiny seed around for all these years, just so he could have something of hers.

"I tried to plant it in the first garden I built for her memory." Obito murmured. "But I could not bear to do it. I am not- do not have the same talent she had for plants. And what if I killed it?"

"Plants are pretty resilient." Sakura said reassuringly. "I think you should plant it, Obito. It made her happy, right?"

He smiled at the small seed. "It did."

Sakura smiled back at him, tucking her hands behind her back. "Well there you go."

He raised an eyebrow. "Simple as that, huh?"

"Well, no, I mean, you gotta look after it. Watering and the right soil, and lots of open, fresh air. But if it's going to be in a garden, then all those things should be a breeze, right?" Sakura rambled. "But you built that other one for her, right? The one that…"

Obito looked at the seed thoughtfully. "I suppose."

Sakura kind of missed Kagami. At least he talked to her. Trying to get anything out of Sasuke, Madara, Itachi, or Obito was like trying to herd kittens. Nigh impossible and just as frustrating. "See? Easy as pie."

That made him look at her curiously, almost amused. "Pie." He said, a little incredulous.

Waving her hand, Sakura sighed. Trying to explain anything to the Uchiha was also like herding kittens. She had never really thought about how to explain modern day technology and idiosyncrasies to gods. "It's a saying. It… It just means it easy."

He nodded, understanding flickering over his face briefly. "And the finally exams you mentioned…?"

"Final exams." Sakura corrected gently, thinking. Finals were difficult to explain to her parents, let alone to a deity who had just spent the last thousand years as a sentient cloud of angst. "Um… It's like, so, I'm going to school to be a doctor, and at the end of the… uh, learning period, we have a big exam to test everything we've learnt. We call them finals because they're the last exams we take before holidays."

"Ah."

Sakura got the feeling he didn't quite get it. "It's kinda complicated."

Obito made a funny huffing noise, glancing around at the quiet suburban street. "It seems that many things now are complicated." He said.

Sakura wondered what it was like, popping back into the world that had moved on without you. She took her knowledge of modern technology for granted, having grown up knowing nothing different. But smartphones, cars, electricity… they were all fairly recent things. Things that the Uchiha now had to get used to. "Yeah. But, it's not always a bad thing." She said quickly. "We have much better medicine now, sanitation practices, education."

Obito looked at her curiously. "Yes, so I have seen." He said. "You will work with medicine?"

"Yeah, I'm training under one of the best right now- I want to be a neurosurgeon, but I was also thinking about going back after my residency to do some stuff with genet-" A yawn cut her off and she felt her jaw crack. Blinking away the sudden prickling of tears, Sakura shook her head.

Obito smiled, barely there, but a smile, nonetheless. "You should rest. There is no danger here and you are tired. You can explain the miracles of your teacher to me another time."

Sakura thought he looked much nicer when he wasn't glowering at everything. "She's not a miracle- well, I mean, she probably thinks she is, but the real miracle here is the work she does. She's doing work now with STEM cell research, and she's hoping to apply it to patients who have Alzheimer's-" She yawned again. "Ugh."

Obito looked confused but entertained. "We will talk again." He promised.

Sakura opened her mouth to respond but was caught off guard when he lifted his hand to her neck, cupping the side of it very carefully. His hand was warm, warmer than normal, but not nearly as hot as Sasuke's.

His hand lingered on the side of her neck for a moment longer. "Goodnight, Sakura."

Predictably, he was gone before Sakura could say anything.

It was always a little jarring when they just up and left, especially because it was so unnatural. One moment they were there, and then literally, before her eyes, they vanished. It boggled her mind still, seeing such impossible abilities being tossed around so casually.

Sakura opened the door gingerly, creeping back inside. Tiredness was still prickling at her eyes, but she wasn't going to sleep just yet.

She had some more sleuthing to do.

Tiptoeing past her father once more, Sakura shut her bedroom door and then crawled back into bed, picking up her notebook and pen. Her conversation had helped something in her brain click.

Rin and Obito had _grown up_ together. She had seen that in his memories.

Sakura traced her pen up the page of the giant history book, searching for the passage she remembered reading.

 _His brother Quili put his hands in the ground, bringing forth new life for his daughter and Kaos to play in, a nursery for the small deities._

Quili was Rin's father, and Rin had grown up with Obito.

Which meant that Obito was Kaos.

Sakura tapped her pen on the page triumphantly, sure of her deduction. "One down." She muttered, scrawling her conclusion onto the page messily. "Five to go."

* * *

Obito crushed the nightmare he had taken from Sakura, the wisp vanishing into his hand. Kamui devoured it hungrily, feasting on the darkness and fear with gusto.

He recognised the two women that had tormented her. Sasuke's old lover, the one who was dead and not, and the broken one that Itachi had stolen years from. He was not overly disturbed by their appearance. They screamed of fear, not premonition.

Kamui purred happily as she ripped the nightmare to shreds.

Obito glanced down at his pocket, where the small seed was. He had been toying with the thought of planting it ever since he had escaped that dreaded mountain. At first, he had intended to plant it in Rin's old garden, but after its desecration, he knew it was no place for such a precious gift.

No.

The new garden needed to be safe and hidden from prying eyes.

This little seed would not be subject to humanities undying need for possession, nor would it be killed off by any other Ancients. It was all he had left of Rin, her last gift before her garden collapsed into dust and left him standing in the darkness.

He would keep this one safe.

He left Sakura's little odd box home behind, leaping from shadow to shadow, more free than he had felt in eons. The weight of the Rin's death did not seem so heavy now and he was reminded of his childhood, chasing Kagami and Madara through the trees, Shisui's indignant squeals to wait echoing in his ears.

The baying of dogs caught his ear as it drifted by on the wind. It was a familiar noise. One he had heard many a time before.

A hunt.

Madara's call to action was less than subtle, more an order than a request, but for this prey, Obito did not mind in the slightest. He changed direction, heading for the sound of barking and howling from his older brother's hunting pack.

Itachi was there too, cloaked in shadow. Wordless, Itachi showed him his palm, and the Mark lit up the night like a star, glowing red with stolen time. His younger brother was quiet, but even from here, Obito could feel the roiling irritation.

Time taken without permission… And then the gall to flee from the Mark…

Madara joined them a moment later, dogs swarming around his feet. He had forgone the human garb in favour of his preferred red armour and loose fitting pants. The biggest dog, a beast called Susano'o howled, salivating and snapping at the air.

It felt like when they were young and hunted giant maws across the sprawling deserts of Varmalus.

Only this time, the prey was far more important.

* * *

Day 61

Sakura steeled herself.

The café was busy, the coffee machine hissing loudly and the hum of conversation in the air. It was warm out, not too hot, and Sakura could see Koharu sitting at a glass table under the sweeping shade of a leafy tree.

Her bag was light, only her wallet and keys inside.

Sakura ducked past the server standing at the entrance to the upscale café, pointing at Koharu with a smile.

The server nodded, going back to fixing the napkins.

Koharu looked up from her coffee as Sakura approached, and her face lit up in a smile. "Oh, Sakura!" She said brightly, standing up to pull Sakura into a hug. "You are looking so much better! You've got your colour back."

Sakura smiled back, pushing herself to hug Koharu back. "Well you didn't think my parents would let me come to Konoha if I wasn't at least ten kilos heavier, did you?"

Koharu stepped back, hands on Sakura's upper arms. She smiled, amused. "You say that as if it's a bad thing." She teased, ushering Sakura over to her table. "Come, sit, sit. I hope you don't mind, but I remembered you liked hot chocolate, so I ordered you one."

"Of course not." Sakura said past the lump of nervousness in her throat. "Thank you."

Koharu took her hand, squeezing gently. Like this, Sakura almost couldn't believe it was an act. It was so real. "You are most welcome, my girl. You father did let me know that you still needed some fattening up, so a little sweet drink will help with that."

The mention of her father got Sakura's back up.

Knowing what Koharu was capable of now, Sakura wanted her nowhere near her parents. If she found out that Sakura was only using her for information, then Sakura had no doubt that her parents would cease to be Koharu's 'friends' and instead would become a bargaining chip.

"You and my parents gossip far too much." Was what she said instead, busying herself with her bag to try and hide her discomfort.

Koharu chuckled. "Oh let us old folk have our fun, hm?" She said good naturedly. "Now, they have a wonderful brunch menu here."

Sakura accepted the menu, flipping through it. She wanted something sweet.

* * *

"Now, what on Earth had you so worked up on the phone the other day?" Koharu asked, sipping her coffee, eggs benedict half eaten.

" _You need to convince her that you are vulnerable and alone." Kagami coached._

"I must admit, I did worry." Koharu continued. "You sounded rather unlike yourself."

"You're not human, are you?" Sakura blurted out, stabbing at a pancake nervously.

Koharu's gaze sharpened and her eyes narrowed. The change in expression, from bright smile to a look of cool blankness, was startling. It just served to hammer home how good Koharu was at acting.

Sakura swallowed.

" _If the need arises, we will intervene." Madara said. "But as you said, we need Koharu in order to free Karin."_

 _The unsaid 'so don't screw it up' hung in the air._

Koharu put her cup down delicately. "Sakura, what is this about?" She asked, deflecting the question neatly.

Sakura poked her berry pancakes nervously, grateful for that she could look away without seeming suspicious. She didn't really know what to say. She needed something that would convince Koharu to help her, something that wouldn't give away her research, or the fact that she was collaborating with the Uchiha.

But what?

She hadn't meant to just blurt that out and now her carefully thought out plan was screwed.

" _Tell her that one of us came to see you, and you were frightened by us. You had thought that it was just a dream down in the mountain, a nightmare." Kagami said quietly, giving her a tiny smile._

" _I wish."_

 _His smile widened. "Tell her you have realised that the stories were real, and now you are afraid because in the stories, we were always an omen of doom." He tugged on his scarf, pulling it over his nose a little bit._

" _Do not say something that dramatic, though." Itachi interjected quietly._

"So you have seen them." Koharu sighed. "I wondered when this would…"

Sakura sucked on her lower lip. "So you're…"

"Like them? No." Koharu said firmly. "I am nothing like them-"

Sakura wasn't so sure about that.

"But you are correct. I am not human." Koharu said, sipping her coffee with dark brown eyes fixed on Sakura.

Sakura looked away, sighing. "So if you're not like them, then…?"

Koharu heaved a sigh. "I was tasked with protecting their imprisonment. I was meant to keep prying eyes and curious children away, lest the Uchiha exert some sort of machination and free themselves." Her smile was bitter. "I failed rather spectacularly in that regard."

"You were meant to stop people going there?"

"Indeed. A last directive from my eldest brother." Koharu looked a little wistful.

"Why?"

"Why?" Koharu repeated, looking at Sakura with something akin to amusement. "The Uchiha are dangerous and they are no friend of humanity. They don't care about anything but their own family."

Sakura had seen that first hand. Madara was intensely protective of his family. "I figured they were dangerous." She murmured. "Down there… I wasn't sure if I was just making things up."

"I can assure you, you weren't." Koharu said grimly. She sighed gain. "The Uchiha were locked away for the protection of humans, and everything else that has ever, or might ever live. The last time they were free, they were affronted by Hashirama's acceptance of humans. They thought it an affront to their sensibilities that a godly being would lower themselves to walk among humans."

That.. honestly didn't sound so unrealistic.

But not just for the Uchiha.

"So… you locked them up?"

Koharu made a face, obviously thinking of the right way to say something. "It… Like many things, the Uchiha's relationship with myself and the rest of my family was complicated. I suppose, to explain it, I need to explain everything, hm?"

Sakura tried not perk up at that. If she could get just a little more information to work with, she might be able to figure out just what was going on and who wanted what.

And how to stop it.

"An explanation would be great." Sakura said, rubbing her arm. "I hadn't really heard anything about the Uchiha before all of this- you know just what they taught in school. And to learn it was all real…"

Koharu smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't fret, my girl." She sighed, taking a delicate bite of her breakfast, neat despite the runny eggs. After she had finished, she set her fork down. "The Uchiha's have stood as our opposites since as long as I can remember. They were created after my older brothers, Tobirama and Hashirama, rebelled against their-our mother."

Hashirama?

Hadn't that been the name that Madara had spoken back in his prison?

Sakura tucked that away as well, sure she had heard Madara say that name.

"The Uchiha were created as sort of… twisted opposites. Intended, I think, as replacements who could be controlled. Only… They weren't just mindless beasts sent out to do Mother's bidding." Koharu said, and there was a note of begrudging respect in her words. "They turned on her as soon as it became clear that she would lose. Hashirama, in his eternal _wisdom_ , decided against killing the Uchiha, insisting that they be given a chance at redemption."

"I take it you disagreed?" Sakura said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm. Disagree would be putting it lightly. I thought- many of us thought him an idiot." Koharu scoffed. "We were all sure that the Uchiha couldn't be trusted, that one day they would betray us and finish the task that Mother had created them for."

"And that's why you locked them up?"

"Mm." Koharu took another bite of breakfast. "The Uchiha played the long game, integrated with us, claimed rehabilitation. After eons of nothing, even I grew to trust them. And that was exactly what they were waiting for."

Sakura squirrelled away all this information. She had a feeling that Koharu was manipulating things, especially given the fact that Sakura was certain that the Uchiha had been created _alongside_ the other gods, not after. She didn't say that, however.

"A thousand years ago, it came to a head." Koharu said bitterly. "The Uchiha were just biding their time. Only, it wasn't to release Mother. No, they had decided that they weren't going to be subservient to anyone. They used our distraction with our mother's weakening seal to catch us off guard."

"So many of my siblings were slaughtered." Koharu shook her head. "In the end, we had to use the seal we had originally fashioned for our mother on the Uchiha. It was the only way to stop the onslaught. If we hadn't they would have continued their rampage and Hashirama feared that their violence would spill over onto humanity, or, worse still, break the seal on Mother entirely."

Sakura felt a bit ill. So her suspicions that the Uchiha weren't just out for revenge were founded. They wanted complete dominion over everything. "And now they're back."

Koharu nodded. "And you, my girl, are the only thing standing in their way." She said grimly, sipping her coffee again. "By now, I'm sure you know what releasing them did, yes?"

"I can control them." Sakura said. "I figured it out when Sayaka…"

The old woman sighed. "I take it that was what the storm was a few weeks back?"

"Sasuke- he came to see me." Sakura answered carefully. "We argued about Sayaka and I panicked a little bit. I didn't think he would be so angry."

Koharu gestured for Sakura to eat. "He has always been an angry, violent creature." She said. "But I suppose, him coming to see you gave you a glimpse into their true nature. They're not benevolent, sweet gods who we locked away out of-"

"Jealousy."

Koharu's eyebrows shot up and she snorted derisively. "Hah! As if we were jealous of them! What a joke." She scoffed. "They always were pompous, arrogant little brats. But I suspect you already knew that."

"Mm…"

Koharu laughed, waving her hand. "You are far too kind to them." She said. Her smile faded in short order however, and her expression turned serious. "But you didn't come here just to listen to me ramble, did you?"

"I figured out pretty early on that there was something… off about them." Sakura murmured. "I tried to ask them what they were planning, but they kept dancing around my questions, and I was getting nowhere with them."

Koharu was watching her intently and Sakura struggled not to let herself lose her composure under the scrutiny, willing her heart to stay calm.

"Now that I know for sure what they're doing- I can't... just stand by and let them… And I know that my commands are more a stop gap than anything. It's not a solution." She said carefully.

" _Make yourself vulnerable. Koharu is arrogant, she doesn't believe in others being able to deceive her." Kagami said._

 _Sakura caught a flicker of something across his face. Was he speaking from experience?_

"No." Koharu said. "It's not."

"You didn't come to the hospital, or let my family stay in your house because you were just a good Samaritan." Sakura said.

"No, I didn't." Koharu said sombrely. "I needed to know whether the Uchiha had gotten their claws into you, Sakura. I lied to you, in the hospital, the time you asked me about the Uchiha because I wasn't sure if I could trust you, whether you had been swayed by the Uchiha's good looks and charm. Now that you've come to me, I think I can. Would I be right?"

" _You'll have to lie." Kagami said quietly. "Koharu is clever, good at detecting them. It is what she does-"_

" _Detect lies?"_

" _No." Itachi said. "Lie. She lies."_

Sakura pushed away her dislike of lying. She hated, hated, hated it. Hated lying to people when it put them on the wrong foot or caused trouble for them down the line. "They haven't exactly been nice to me." She joked weakly. "And I think I'm a little in over my head, to be perfectly honest."

Koharu smiled at her reassuringly, squeezing her hand. "Well you have me now, Sakura."

Sakura felt uneasy, just as she had when she had first met Koharu. She squashed it down, smiling back. "Thank you."

* * *

I have two papers due, no moneeeeeeeeey, and no work experience!

Sing with me, fam!

I'm so past caring I think I'm hysterical, tbh.


	18. Day 60: The Game

KISHIMOTO HAS BLESSED US

MY CROPS

In honour of Kishimoto finally giving us some good fucking food, and also SasuSaku month, I added in some SasuSaku for you all to enjoy.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

And sorry about being awol for like three months.

* * *

Chapter 18

Day 60: The Game

"Thank you." Sakura said as sincerely as she was able, squeezing Koharu's hand back.

Koharu pulled her hand away, going back to picking at her breakfast. "It's quite alright, my girl. You can trust me now, but I only ask one thing in return."

Sakura waited.

"You do as I say." Koharu said seriously, looking at Sakura, eyes stern. "I know you're the epitome of a modern woman, independent and headstrong, but these are not squabbling co-workers or petty college students."

Sakura nodded quickly, stabbing at her cooling pancakes.

Koharu leaned over the table, expression hard. "Sakura. You must promise me that you'll trust my judgement."

" _You are uncomfortable." Itachi murmured._

 _Sakura shrugged. "I've… never done something like this before. My dad says I'd make an awful politician because I can't lie very well."_

 _Itachi examined her for a moment. "Lying is… a subtle art." He agreed. "I am sorry that we are asking you to do this-"_

 _She shook her head, sighing. "No. No I'm not doing this just because you told me to." She said. "I couldn't live with myself if I knew about Karin and didn't at least try to make it right."_

 _Itachi gave her a wry smile. "You are a good person, Sakura."_

"I'll do my best." Sakura said, hedging around agreeing outright. She didn't know if Koharu had some freaky magic to hold her to whatever she agreed to, but she wasn't about to risk it. At least with the Uchiha, they were mostly forthright about being assholes, but Koharu hid her wickedness so well.

Koharu smiled, leaning back. "Well, you just let me help you, and with some luck, we might both come out the other side of this alive and well." She shook her head, smile fading some.

Sakura nodded. "So how do we do this?" She asked briskly. "Where do I start?"

"It's rather simple." Koharu said with a wry, sarcastic smile. "You'll need to get them to trust you. In order to lock them away, you'll need to lure them to a place that I've set up beforehand. But they won't go anywhere with you without a back-up plan."

"So I need to make like I don't have any secondary intentions."

Koharu nodded. "Got it in one." She said, almost proudly. "Once they're there, your job is done, and I'll take over. I was there when they were locked away the first time, and I can do it again."

Sakura felt a pit in her stomach. So Koharu did know how to contain them. All Sakura had to do was get that information out of her before Karin was freed, and the Sakura would have a weapon to threaten the Uchiha with. "So can we do it now?"

"Hardly." Koharu said with a derisive snort. "Last time nearly drained myself and my brothers. I'll need time to gather my strength in order to kickstart the seal. Once it's in motion, however, the seal will draw upon the Uchiha's strength, as the original did."

Sakura didn't like the look in Koharu's eyes. She had a dawning feeling that _she_ was the kickstart Koharu was talking about. "What kind of kickstart?" She asked curiously, playing dumb.

Koharu smiled at her thinly. "Nothing too arduous, I promise you. I simply need a little more power, but if you give me a little time, I should have enough." Her eyes were empty and cold, though they crinkled at the corners, like a real smile. "Don't look so worried. Believe it or not, I have learned some things in all my years of being alive."

"Oh… I just…" Sakura scrambled for something to say. She wasn't particularly worried about Koharu, she was worried about herself. She was beginning to see a pattern to the seal. She was the sacrifice the first time, what was to say she wouldn't be the second time? "Sorry. I'm just a bit nervous."

"Don't be." Koharu said kindly. "I'll be with you every step of the way." But her smile had grown just a little bit fixed, and there was a sharp, ever so slight bite to the ends of her words. "Now, onto just how we'll do this, yes?"

Sakura smiled. Koharu's mask was slipping more and more each time. It seemed she had just as little patience for mortals like Sakura as she claimed the Uchiha's did. "Yes. Getting them to trust me. They're… prickly, to put it nicely. Madara was… the most distrustful of me, and from what I can gather, he's their… leader?"

"He's the eldest, so they often defer to him." Koharu said, nodding. She gestured for Sakura to eat. "I suggest not bothering with him or Sasuke. Both of them are rather boorish individuals, rather boring as well. You'll nowhere with either of them."

Sakura couldn't exactly fault her opinion on Madara. He was kind of an asshole. "Well, Itachi seemed nice-"

"No!" Koharu said quickly, so sharply that a few other people looked over at their table.

Sakura was a little taken aback by the outburst. It was an odd thing for Koharu to protest so vehemently against, especially since her problem seemed to be with _Sasuke_ , not Itachi. Itachi hadn't even so much as mentioned Koharu- in fact, when they'd spoken about his prison, Sakura was sure Itachi said _'he'_ in reference to the creator. "I-"

Koharu's shoulders dropped and she gave Sakura a warm, apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry, my girl." She said. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

The old goddess gave a half smile, a nasty, ugly thing.

"Itachi is… Dangerous." Koharu said quietly. "If I were you, I would stay far away from Itachi. He's seems so very sweet and gentle on the surface, but I can promise you, he is anything but. He is a vile creature, full of malice and spite and he-"

Sakura struggled not to raise an eyebrow at the unexpected hatred in Koharu's voice.

Koharu sighed, smile wavering. "Just… Stay away from him." She warned.

"Why?" Sakura blurted out without thinking.

Koharu pressed her lips together, obviously thinking. "He… He may seem gentle, but that is his way. He worms his way inside, sweet and innocent and so quiet, but once he is there, he grows on you like a parasite. Believe me, child, where Itachi goes, sickness and strife follow."

Sickness and strife? Sakura was struck by the thought of Asthen's 'pallid' demeanour. "Oh. I… Guess you really do know best." Was what she said instead.

Koharu smiled, appeased. "Yes. Yes I do." She said quietly. "When it comes to the Uchiha, their family is and always has been, their downfall. Where one goes, they all follow. You don't need to get them all to like, just one and the others will fall in line as they have always done."

Sakura filed that away for her own reference, nodding vaguely.

"Either Kagami or Shisui are good options." Koharu said and Sakura wondered if she was imagining the bite to Kagami's name or not. "Both of them are fascinated by mortals, and I imagine you would be quite interesting with them."

"Yeah, it's the hair." Sakura joked. "Good conversation starter."

Koharu coughed into her tea delicately, giving Sakura a knowing smile. "Yes, well, be it your hair or the fact you survived, they are both more likely to give you the time of day. And because they'll want to get on your good side and attempt to isolate you, they'll be extra open to your presence."

"Okay." Sakura said firmly. "So I'll call them tonight, Shisui or Kagami, and I'll tell them… What, exactly?"

Koharu frowned. "They'll be suspicious of you and I don't doubt that they already know about this meeting today. Don't tell them you don't trust me but imply it. It'll make them feel more intelligent that way, I suppose." She said with a dismissive look on her face. "Shisui always liked to talk about himself and those ugly little creations of his. It will do much to endear you to him and his elder brothers, even if they are hideous little things."

"His creations?" Sakura asked curiously. Shisui had been visibly delighted when she'd shown interest in the cute little dumbo octopus he had been caring for.

Koharu shook her head, eyes rolling. "Those horrible little sponges and jellyfish he's obsessed with. He used to throw them at me and set them loose in every body of water he could find. Awful, horrible things they are."

Koharu seemed rather bitter about all of the Uchiha's. Sakura didn't see how Shisui liking animals was a bad thing, but she didn't say that. "So I'll get him to talk about himself. If we have something in common, he's more likely to like me, right?"

"Exactly." Koharu said. "Now you're getting it."

Sakura was really beginning to dislike Koharu. The subtle barbs and condescension was getting on her nerves a little bit. "Okay. I can do that. I'll take it slow- so I don't raise suspicion. That'll give you more time to gather your strength too."

Koharu gave her an insincere smile. "Such a sweet girl, aren't you? Yes. Take it slow, let them come to you. They'll underestimate you, my girl. But you're much smarter than I'm sure they give you credit for." She scraped her fork over her plate, picking up the last of her bacon.

The sound grated on Sakura's ears.

"We'll get them, and all will be right again." Koharu said with finality. She chewed her last bite, eyes lighting up for a moment. "Oh- that reminds me, I have something to give you."

Sakura looked up curiously.

"I left it at home," Koharu said, "I wanted to give it you in private. The Uchiha won't go there, and I didn't want to risk them listening to conversations that don't concern them."

"The-they can do that?"

Koharu chuckled. "Yes, my girl, they can."

"Ah." Sakura had suspected, but she didn't know how she felt about having confirmation. She wondered if they had spied on her all the time. She hoped not, because then she was really batting from behind. "I… didn't even think of that."

"No matter. My present should put an end to all that and keep you safe from their… machinations." Koharu said breezily, waving a hand. "We can go back to my house to get it after we've finished our meal."

Sakura didn't want to spend more time with Koharu. It had been exhausting enough trying to navigate her way through the politicking and lies. The more time she spent with Koharu, the more likely it was she would slip up and snap at her. "I… I can't today." She said, casting her eyes down at her mostly empty plate. "I've gotta pick up some presents for Genma and Kakashi. And I have to visit my lecturers at uni- pick up the rest of my assignments and feedback, um-"

She wasn't imagining the frustration in Koharu's eyes. "Oh, you're such a sweet young girl, aren't you?" Koharu cooed instead, patting Sakura's hand. "Well, no matter, my dear. We shall leave it for now. But how about we meet up on Monday, hm? You can drop by my office and we can have lunch together. I'll bring it then."

Sakura smiled thinly, unable to think of a way to refuse. "Sounds great." She said instead.

The rest of their meal passed more easily, Sakura doing her best to direct the conversation to lighter topics, and Koharu obliged her, asking about her plans for the next semester, about her job search, her parents health.

At the end of it, Koharu waved away Sakura's attempts to pay.

"What kind of host would I be if I made you pay?" Koharu said, handing the folder back to the waiter, and slipping a silver card back into her wallet. "I invited you out, of course I should pay. And you're between jobs right now, I can't expect you to be spending frivolously."

"Oh, I don't really think this was frivolous." Sakura murmured. "I learnt a lot today."

"Well, then at least I've done my job." Koharu said, as she linked her arm with Sakura's, walking out onto the courtyard that the café overlooked. It was a lovely day, the sun bright in the sky, and people milling around the up market square, looking in the shops, and eating brunch at the numerous cafes. There were children, playing by the fountain in the middle of the square, and under a tree, there were some teenagers, talking amongst themselves.

Koharu patted Sakura's hand once more. "Well then my girl, I best be going. I still have to keep up appearances after all."

"Work? On a Saturday?" Sakura joked.

The old woman sighed, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, Konoha is a big place and there is always some metaphorical fire to put out." She tucked her expensive handbag over her arm. "You take care, and please, my girl, be careful around those men, hm?"

"Of course." Sakura said, pausing by the expensive black SUV that had pulled up at the curb for Koharu. A handsome man in a black suit jacket and light blue shirt was waiting by the backdoor. He was tall, dark haired, with eyes that were such a light grey Sakura almost thought he was blind. "I'll see you on Monday." She said, mustering a smile.

Koharu promised to order something nice for lunch, and Sakura waited on the curb, waving to the old goddess as the car pulled away.

* * *

"What were you doing with Koharu?"

Sakura jumped, bumping into the display she had been looking at as she spun around. She yelped in shock, taking an automatic step back when she found Sasuke looming over her.

She knocked the shelf behind her again, and it wobbled dangerously, the sacks and tins of expensive coffee beans rattling noisily. Sakura squeaked, turning back around just in time to see the whole display topple over backwards.

"No, no, no-" She cried, reaching out to grab it just a moment too late, and the shelf hit the ground with a ridiculously loud crash, expensive tins of coffee beans skating across the tiles of the upscale grocery store, and the hessian bags rolling around.

The store was awfully quiet in the aftermath.

Sakura felt her cheeks flame bright red at the embarrassment of it all as she scrambled to gather up the scattered products and right the shelf.

Someone tutted disapprovingly and Sakura saw two middle aged women shaking their heads at her from the end of the row, mouths set in thin lines of judgement. The taller of the two raised an eyebrow at Sakura, cliquey and demanding.

Sakura gave them a sheepish smile.

To her surprise, Sasuke stepped around her and bent to right the knocked over display. He glanced at her, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "Collect the boxes." He said, holding out his hand for the boxes and sacks in her arms. "I will put them back."

Sakura blinked, not sure why she was surprised Sasuke was helping her. For some reason, she almost imagined the Uchiha as royalty or royal like, and almost above doing such menial things. Even so, she shuffled over with the ones she had picked up, and he took them from her arms without so much as an annoyed brow twitch.

Sakura turned to collect the rest, watching him curiously. He didn't look annoyed, or angry, only examined the labels on the front before putting the products behind their respective prices.

Sakura brought over the last few boxes, cheeks still flaming, and she did her best to ignore the two ladies at the end of the aisle still boring judgement holes into her back. "Thanks." She murmured, rubbing her cheek as it to rub the red away.

Sasuke shrugged.

"Oh- Oh, you've already managed to fix it up!" A cheery voice said behind them.

Sakura turned, shoulder bumping against Sasuke's and she took a step away from him without thinking, not realising they had been so close.

There was a young man behind her, piercing through one eyebrow and wearing a cheery red apron. He smiled at them and waved a hand. "Don't worry." He said with a conspiratorial grin. "Someone knocks it over at least once a week."

"It is flimsy." Sasuke said, shaking the display with a dangerous rattle and Sakura inhaled, yanking on his sleeve. "You should build a more sturdy one, so it does not happen again."

"Sasuke!" Sakura hissed, tugging on his sleeve again. "He doesn't have any control over that."

The employee didn't seem to mind. "I know, I tell my boss every time it falls, but he won't do anything about it." He said with a shrug. "You guys looking for coffee or did it just fall over randomly? Cause that also happens sometimes."

Sakura let out a short laugh at the face he made. "Yeah, I was just getting some presents." She said. "You wouldn't happen to have any recommendations? I'm not a big coffee drinker."

"Well the Killer B Medium roast is always a favourite, very smooth, with an almost caramel flavour." The shop assistant said. "And the Mighty A Blend Dark roast is good if you want a stronger flavour."

"Oh." Sakura said, glancing at the coffee tin. She hadn't really understood any of what he had just said meant. "Thanks."

"No problem." He said, waving a hand again. "Well, if you need anything, just let me know." He gave them one last smile and then traipsed off down the aisle, presumably back to the front where he had been manning the counter.

Sakura sighed, twisting her fingers together as she looked at Sasuke. She wasn't quite sure what to say. In the rush of her knocking everything over, they had worked together amicably, but she wasn't sure if he was just doing it because they were in public. "Do you always sneak up on people?" She asked without thinking.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "It is not my fault you are unobservant." He said. "I did not sneak."

Sakura eyed him warily.

"Why were you with Koharu?" He demanded. "It is not safe to be around her. I told you to stay away from her."

Sakura didn't like his tone, like she was some stupid child. "I know she's dangerous, Sasuke. You don't need to keep telling me. I saw what she did to Karin- to you." She said. "But at the same time, I can't just ignore it. She's the only one who knows how to get Karin out, and I'm the only one with a chance of making her tell us."

Sasuke scowled. "She is dangerous. Karin is a Seer, granted immortality and strength by divine light. And she still fell victim to Koharu. You are a mortal, far more fragile. Koharu has had years to perfect her art of deception." He said harshly. "She will kill you."

Sakura moved back to the display of coffee, picking up the Mighty A brand that the cashier had recommended. "I'm not an idiot, Sasuke." She said firmly, examining the back.

He narrowed dark eyes at her.

"Do you want Karin to be put to rest? Get the send off she deserves?" Sakura demanded. She saw the anger on his face but ignored it. He needed to hear this. "Of course you do. You guys were… lovers? Look-"

His eyes narrowed even further.

"I made a deal with Madara. We use Koharu to figure out how to free Karin, and then you can kill her." Sakura told him. "I don't condone violence, but what she did… to someone- a living being… is unforgiveable. I can't just let her stay down there. It's wrong, and its… it's just cruel."

Sasuke blinked, rearing back a little. "You have never even spoken to Karin."

"So?" Sakura asked, looking up at him confusion. What a weird thing to say. "If you saw someone in need, wouldn't you help? Of course you would."

He didn't say anything.

"There is really no other option here-"

"Torture."

Sakura gaped at him, shocked by the nonchalant way he had said it. "Sasuke!" She hissed. "We are not torturing people. Not even Koharu. Besides, there's no proof that torture even works. She could just tell us lies and then send us on a wild goose chase and we'd be none the wiser." She scolded harshly, shaking her head.

He didn't move, expression hard.

"If you suddenly burst in and start making a fuss, Koharu is going to know I'm working with you, and she's going to run. And then, we have no chance of figuring out exactly how to free Karin from her prison." Sakura warned. "Just trust me. I'm actually pretty intelligent."

He glared, not at her, but just at everything. "If she moves to kill you, we will step in."

"I know." Sakura said vaguely. "But nothing's going to happen."

Sasuke didn't say anything else and Sakura half expected him to just leave, but he didn't. Instead, he stayed by her side, apparently interested in the fancy, air baked chips on the shelf next to him.

"I'm sorry about what I said." Sakura murmured as she picked up the other tin the cashier had recommended. Looking at them more closely, she could see they were actually the same brand, just with different roasts. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Sasuke glanced at her. "What was that?" He asked. "A fainting spell? Malnourishment."

Sakura bit her lip, remembering the suffocating feel of the walls closing in around her, the bookshelves suddenly looming over her, miles high and heavy with books. The bile in her throat. "It was nothing." She said shortly. "I just pushed myself too hard."

The deity next to her looked at her for a moment longer. "But you are well now?"

"Mm." She hummed, weighing each of the tins. "Back to healthy Sakura. I'll even be able to go back to the gym soon."

"Good." Sasuke said. "And this? Is this… helpful in recovery?" He asked, nodding at the tins of coffee.

"No this is a present." Sakura explained quietly. "There were detectives who helped find me. They looked really hard for me. They kept looking, even when they were ordered to help with the flooding. I hit my head pretty bad, and if they hadn't come, then I might have died down there." She had to put the tin down, as tears stung her eyes.

Sasuke took the other from her but said nothing. He didn't try to comfort her, and in its own way, that was a comfort.

Sakura rubbed her eyes, sniffing. "God, I'm such a baby." She whispered to herself as she pushed it away and steadied herself. She picked up the Mighty A blend again, determined to not let herself mope. She had had enough of that for a lifetime and she was sick of being a baby.

She examined the giant man flexing on the packaging, glancing at the other back on the shelf. She wanted to get both, one for Kakashi and another for Genma. Getting just one seemed… cheap. And the packets weren't that big, only around 500grams.

She didn't know how many beans went into a cup of coffee, but she doubted that the tin would last long.

The only problem was that each tin was nearly thirty dollars, and Sakura didn't really have a lot of spare money since she had been let go from her retail job. And Lady Tsunade was still refusing to let Sakura come back to work, citing some stupid policy rule about invalids working.

Her scholarship money wasn't coming in until the next semester started, and she had budgeted her money carefully, planning it so she would have enough to cover rent and food until that time. Her parents had given her some without even asking, and her mother had been talking about hiring a lawyer to sue Sayaka's remaining family for compensation.

But Sakura didn't know anything about law, and she really just wanted to put it all behind her. Between the Uchiha and Koharu, she didn't have any spare mental energy to be fighting with lawyers and insurance companies.

"Is there an issue?" Sasuke asked after a few minutes of Sakura's fretting. "Both seem adequate as thank you presents, do they not?"

"They're fine." Sakura said, a bit snappishly. She winced and softened her tone, reminding herself to watch how she spoke to people. Being broke was no reason to be a grump. "They're just expensive."

"It seems reasonable."

"Do you have $60 to spend on coffee?" Sakura asked sarcastically, examining the tins carefully once more. She honestly had no idea what she was looking for, because she didn't have the first clue what either Genma or Kakashi would drink, but she felt almost obligated to read the confusing jargon on the back.

"Money is no issue." Sasuke said briskly, obviously sick of her dithering. "Just get both. You have been at this display for fifteen minutes."

Sakura blinked, words registering and by the time she did, Sasuke had already taken the other flavour off the shelf and was striding down aisle. "Sasuke- Wait!" She hissed, putting back the tin gingerly and then chasing after him. "What did you mean- Whoa!"

She skidded to a stop, nearly running into a trolley as she rounded the corner. It was the two women from earlier and the blonde woman pushing it gave her a dirty look. Her friend pressed her lips together, holding a packet of expensive almonds.

Sasuke wrapped a hand around her elbow, guiding her out of the way. "Careful." He scolded. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Sorry." Sakura said with an embarrassed smile.

Neither of the women said anything, but Sakura knew they were thinking not so nice things. The expensive active wear and polished haircuts were indicative of the type of people who lived in this area, rich and unfriendly.

Sasuke pulled her away, making his way for the employee at the front of the store.

Sakura stumbled a little to keep up with him. "What did you mean, back there?" She asked. "About money not being an issue?"

Sasuke didn't even look at her, slipping into the line behind a young couple holding too many bunches of asparagus. "I will pay." He said.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "You have money?" She asked incredulously. She knew that the Uchiha had seen money before, they had implemented one of the most complex coinage systems after all.

But still, it seemed so far beneath them.

And where did they even keep it? Did Sasuke even know what a bank was?

Sasuke glanced at her. "Before our imprisonment, we were the wealthiest clan in the area. Our assets were handled by loyal families while we were locked away, and it has grown considerably in the interim."

The shop was quiet for a moment and Sakura bit her lip as the cashier snorted briefly before coughing, a smile appearing on his face.

The couple in front, with their twelve bunches of asparagus glanced back as well, both of them obviously having overheard Sasuke's none-too quiet statement. The woman moved their asparagus away from Sakura's coffee on the conveyor belt, putting down another divider as well. As if she was afraid the coffee could be tainted by Sasuke's suspicious sounding family history.

Sakura cringed slightly. Of course Sasuke would make it sound like his family was in some sort of criminal organisation.

Sasuke seemed wilfully oblivious, examining the artisan lollies and sweets decorating the checkout aisle.

The couple paid for their asparagus, and hurried away, bunches peeking out of a net bag.

The cashier greeted them with a smile, and Sakura supposed he had heard just about everything as a cashier.

People didn't really consider cashiers or retail workers people, and the things they said when they thought nobody could hear…

"Find everything okay?" He asked, scanning the coffee beans. "Oh, you got the Killer B and Mighty A blends! You can't go wrong with these, honestly. Some of the best coffee on the market."

"Yeah, they seemed great." Sakura said sheepishly, elbowing Sasuke away from the register and yanking out her own wallet. She would just die if Sasuke paid and the cashier broke out the pen to check whether the note was legitimate. "Just card today please."

"Bag? They're just fifty cents and the proceeds go to helping penguins." The cashier said, tapping his screen.

"Uh, yes if you could please. I love penguins." Sakura said.

"Me too. They look like they're wearing little suits!" The cashier said cheerily. "Just when you're ready." He said, gesturing at the machine and beginning to bag up the coffee in a neat little paper bag, stamped with the shops logo.

Sakura tapped her card, wishing that she'd just gone to the normal supermarket. Coffee shouldn't be thirty dollars for 500 grams. It was ridiculous!

"Receipt?"

"No thanks." Sakura said automatically, shoving her card away and scrambling to collect her bag. Before she could though, Sasuke picked it up, thanked the cashier, turned on his heel and walked out the sliding doors. "Hey- Thank you, sorry about the shelf!"

"No worries!" The cashier called after her.

Sasuke was waiting for her by the door and caught her arm just before she barrelled into him. "Do you look at all when you run, or do you just go until you hit something?" He asked, steadying her with apparent ease as they made their way across the car park.

Sakura looked at him, ignoring his rude comment. She didn't really know what he was doing. She had expected him to interrogate her and then leave in the shop, but he hadn't done that, even offering to pay. And now he was walking down the street with her as if he had nothing else to do. "What are you doing?" She asked, squinting at him.

Sasuke glanced at her and then back at the street. "I did not think about how it would look when Sayaka died." He said.

It sounded like an apology, and given how prickly he was, Sakura thought it was probably the best she was going to get. "Well." She said, a little lost for what to say. A part of her wanted to yell at him, but another part, the part that didn't want to deal with lawyers and claims and insurance, told her to just accept it. "Thank you."

Sasuke grunted, shoving one hand in his pocket, the other still holding the bag.

He looked like he had just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. Artfully messy hair, white shirt untucked over dark jeans and crisp white sneakers. It was weird, because the Uchiha, all of them, Madara included, seemed to have taken modernity in stride. "Where did you learn how to dress?" She asked.

He shrugged and pointed a billboard on a building.

Sakura looked up and the picture on the billboard changed. A fancy clothing brand, and the male model was wearing Sasuke's outfit. "Ah." She peered at him, a little amused now. "Did you buy it, or…"

"I did not steal them." He huffed, looking at her sharply. "As I said, before our imprisonment, the Uchiha clan was the wealthiest in the area. While Koharu and her brothers may have thought they eradicated our loyal branch families, we were not so weak as to not be able to protect them. They took care of our assets for us-"

"Maybe don't say it like that." Sakura said, waving her hands as they passed a group of people. "It kinda sounds like you were in the mafia or something."

Sasuke looked affronted. "A criminal organisation?" He said, obviously offended. "My family founded the policing force in Konoha, the first of its kind-"

"I know, I know, I know," Sakura said quickly, flapping her hands, and trying to keep her voice down. "It's just that your… unique situation, also sounds like you were in prison for embezzlement or money laundering or something."

Sasuke stared at her blankly. "We did not _steal_ money." He said shortly. "Tithes were a good way of providing services for the people."

"I know, I took economics in highschool." Sakura said, flopping the bag around for emphasis. "I'm just saying, when you say, _'our assets were handled by loyal families during our imprisonment'_ , it sounds like you were in the mafia."

"I was not."

"I know!" Sakura cried, exasperated. She looked at Sasuke, wondering if he was really this stupid, and caught a glimpse of a brief, smug smirk. "Are you- Were you bullshitting me?" She demanded, jumping around in front of him.

"No."

"You were!" Sakura accused. "You- You can make jokes?"

"Yes, and I know what banks are, Sakura." Sakura said slyly, stepping around her and continuing down the street.

Sakura gaped and then glared at his back. "I told you not to do that!" She yelled.

* * *

"Kakashi, Genma, there's someone asking for you at the front desk." Asuma called as he wandered past. "She has pink hair, if that helps." He said pointedly, giving them a dry look over his shoulder.

Genma glanced at Kakashi and put down the files. "Sakura?" He asked.

Kakashi shrugged, wandering out of the breakroom and through the busy office.

His partner scuttled after him, joining him in the elevator at the last moment. "You think she's okay?"

"She's probably just here to say hello." Kakashi said drolly, jabbing the close button despite the fact that one of the baby deputies was running down the hall, waving for him to wait. He smiled as it closed in the deputies face and Genma sighed at him. "What?"

"You have to start being nicer to them." Genma said disapprovingly. "A lot of them idolise you."

"God knows why." Kakashi said, shaking his head.

"Just- Stop bullying them, would you?" Genma said as the elevator doors opened on the first floor. "They're really good cops, you know. Would it kill you to be at least a little bit of a mentor to them?"

"You do it."

"Hey!" Kurenai called, waving them over and stepping aside. "Look who I found!"

Sakura waved at them too, looking much healthier than the last time Kakashi had seen her in the car park of the university library. The circles under her eyes were gone, and her skin had retaken the healthy flush it had had in her photos. The cast was missing, and the worrying gauntness of her face and arms had filled back out.

If not for the fact that her hair was much shorter now, Kakashi might have thought nothing had happened to her.

"Sakura!" Genma greeted warmly, hurrying over. "You look great!"

Sakura laughed, bouncing on her heels. "Well, you know I'm doing a lot better now that I'm, you know, eating." She joked. "And you guys look like you've actually had some sleep, which is good."

"Are you saying I look old?" Genma teased.

"Well, if the shoe fits." Sakura said cheekily, smile bright and wide. "Hi Kakashi." She greeted cheerily.

Kakashi smiled at her, and it was then that he noticed that Sakura hadn't come alone. He hadn't even noticed the young man looming behind her and the fact that he had missed it confused Kakashi. Even if he was no longer at war, the muscle memory of hyper vigilance never really went away.

Sakura looked up at the young man over her shoulder. "Oh- Uh, this is Sasuke." She said, giving them a smile. "He's a… a friend of mine."

Kakashi examined the young man carefully. Tall, traditionally handsome, and carried himself with an arrogant sort of air. "Really? That's nice." He said. But it wasn't nice, because there was something about this young man that made Kakashi irritated, made his stomach draw in and his hands curl.

Genma beamed at Sakura and her friend. "I'm Genma." He said, apparently oblivious to Kakashi's discomfort.

"I am Sasuke." The young man said and the smoothness of his voice surprised Kakashi. He was expecting something deeper and darker for someone so tall and bulky. "It is nice to meet you. Sakura said you helped her. She bought you some coffee-"

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, turning on her friend in irritation. "You can't just tell them! What about all the wrapping I did? And the cards? You just ruined the surprise!"

Kurenai laughed. "Oh dear." She said. "Well, I've got to get back to booking before Ayame has a meltdown. It was good to meet you Sakura, and best of luck with your job hunt, yeah?" She said, clapping Kakashi on the shoulder.

Sakura waved as Kurenai walked away. "Oh… I spent so long on the ribbon." She said, obviously disappointed as she held the colourful paper bags out to Kakashi and Genma. "I really hope you like coffee- I didn't really know what else to get and I didn't want to call and _give it away_." She said, glaring at Sasuke pointedly.

He ignored her.

Genma smiled. "It's alright." He said indulgently. "I'll pretend I didn't hear anything." He joked.

Kakashi took the coffee, staring at Sasuke. Who was this kid? There was something about the way he spoke that made Kakashi's brain tick over, trying to figure out what was so familiar about it.

Sasuke looked at him sharply, eyes dark and challenging.

The irritation in Kakashi's stomach turned into rage. Years old rage that was directed at someone else entirely and something he had worked to bury.

Kakashi looked away first, confused by the inexplicable, irrational anger. He had buried his anger over Yamato's death years ago, worked for years to understand that it wasn't his fault, that war was war, and that Yamato would be-

"Are you going to open it?" Sakura asked, looking up at him with big, curious eyes.

Kakashi coughed, shoving the anger away and stomach churning. "Yeah." He said, glancing at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. He was still watching him, and Kakashi looked away again. "We love coffee around here, so you may have just started a war-"

"Killer B!" Genma said excitedly. "I love this stuff! We haven't had it ages though, because the rookies kept drinking it all and replacing it with the cheap instant stuff."

"Definitely started a war." Kakashi said to Sakura accusingly, undoing her careful wrapping gingerly. Sasuke had moved away, was looking at the noticeboard overflowing with notes and ads for massages, group karate lessons, and coffee places. Even so, Kakashi could feel those eyes on his back. "Chief never springs for the good stuff."

Sakura beamed, obviously delighted. "Oh! Well, I'm glad that I got both then." She laughed.

"We're not keeping this in the breakroom." Genma declared. "If the rookies drink it, I'll throw them off the building."

"What happened to being a mentor to them?" Kakashi asked.

Genma rattled the tin at him meaningfully before turning to Sakura. "Do you want to come upstairs and try some?" He asked. "You should try some of the fruits of your labour, after all."

Sakura laughed. "Not much labour on my part." She joked. "And I don't really drink coffee. It's too bitter."

"We have hot chocolate, tea…" Genma said.

Sakura rocked on her heels and then glanced at her friend, who had turned around and was watching them with a shockingly blank face. "Do you mind?" She asked. "It'll only be for a few minutes."

Sasuke shrugged, hands in his pockets. "Do what you like." He said quietly, moving over to stand by her shoulder again.

Kakashi eyed them warily. They seemed friendly with each other, but Kakashi still wasn't sure about the dark haired young man.

"Well, come on up." Genma was saying to Sakura, ushering all of them to the elevator. "It'll be a bit of a mess, but you can see where I do work, and Kakashi slacks off."

Kakashi ignored the barb. He felt ill, and he didn't know why. Sakura was safe. And she had friend. There was nothing wrong with this picture. It was a good thing, Sakura reconnecting with the world, being happy, making friends.

His stomach churned uncomfortably.

"Kakashi, hurry up." Genma said impatiently, holding the doors of the elevator open for him.

Kakashi slipped into the elevator, standing next to Sasuke.

The young man looked at him briefly, dark eyes blank and unfriendly.

They were around the same height, and Kakashi clearly had years on the young man, but the anger came back and Kakashi had to look away.

"Oh, cause maize is a type of corn?" Genma laughed.

"See, someone gets it." Sakura said pointedly, turning her nose up at Sasuke playfully.

"I understood the joke." Sasuke said. "It just was not funny."

And that accent? Where had he heard it before?

Kakashi felt like he was in a bubble. Why was he so on edge around Sasuke, someone he had never met before? Genma didn't seem to notice his discomfort, and Sakura seemed bubbly and bright, showing Genma the card she had brought for Kakashi as well.

"So." Kakashi managed. "Sasuke, you're one of Sakura's classmates?"

Sasuke didn't even look at him. "We shared a class once." He said quietly, perfectly even and serene and off somehow in a way that Kakashi didn't know but did all at the same time. "You have my thanks for helping to find her."

"Well, we were just doing our job." Kakashi said, surprised by the bite to his words. The pit in his stomach opened again, and the old rage came bubbling out, as hot and angry as had always been.

"Still. I am grateful."

Kakashi kept his eyes on Sasuke as they exited the elevator, and Genma showed them into the breakroom.

There was something off about this.

He just didn't know what.

Sakura and Genma busied themselves with the coffee machine, Sakura absolutely bewildered by it all, and Genma patient as he helped her load in the beans and turn on the grinder. Sasuke watched over her shoulder, hands still in his pockets, apparently bored.

"You have canines." Sasuke said quietly, moving over to stand by Kakashi as Genma flailed around as the coffee splattered on the grill. "You use them help you find missing people?"

"Sometimes." Kakashi said shortly. "Other times, we use them for drugs, or to incapacitate someone."

"Hm." Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. "This building is the hub of the policing force, correct? With smaller branches?"

Kakashi frowned. "Yes. We run most of the major crimes out of here." He said with a shrug. "Missing persons, murder, drug raids."

"It has changed much since the last time I saw it." Sasuke murmured, words short and staccato, and accent frustratingly foreign and familiar all at the same time. The young man nodded to Kakashi politely before he walked away to accept the coffee mug Sakura was showing off proudly.

Kakashi watched him go. What the hell did that mean?

"Kakashi, bring over the Mighty A blend." Genma said, waving him over as he fiddled with the machine expertly. "We're definitely going to have to lock this stuff away." He said as he undid the hessian sack inside the tin and poured some beans into the grinder.

"Well not in any of your hiding places." Kakashi said. "You're about as predictable as a bus schedule. Everyone knows where you hide stuff."

"If you stopped showing people, then they wouldn't."

"Get better hiding spots." Kakashi shot back, eyeing Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura was examining a poster board of missing persons. Many of the people on that board had been missing for years, but the chief kept them up just in case a tip ever came in.

"Stop glaring." Genma murmured. "You're making it obvious."

Kakashi looked at his partner.

Genma sipped his coffee, eyebrows rising. "The kids weird. I know." He said as the machine whirred away in the background, Kakashi's coffee dripping into the porcelain mug. "But stop glaring at him like he killed that stupid pug of yours-"

"Pakkun is not stupid."

Genma rolled his eyes. "Just stop acting like he's suspicious. Sakura will notice and I really don't want her to think she's done something wrong, okay?" He said, handing Kakashi the steaming cup of coffee. "I like her, she's nice and you know, we don't often to get meet the people we're tasking with finding." He said before he wandered away.

Kakashi accepted the cup, jaw tight.

The door banged open.

"I smell coffee." Asuma boomed, hands on his hips. "Who's making coffee and where's mine?"

"No!" Genma yelped.

"Is that Killer B blend?" Kurenai chimed in, head popping up over Asuma's shoulder. "Ooh we never get the good stuff unless Chief wants to butter us up for a Christmas shift. Kakashi, make me a cup, will you."

Genma looked hunted, scuttling over to the machine, still clutching his cup. "No, it's mine!" He cried, snatching the tin off the machine. "Sakura bought it for me!"

"Yeah, but you owe me a favour."

"For what?!"

* * *

"It was really good to see you guys." Sakura said, drawing back from her hug with Kakashi. Kakashi didn't like hugs so much, but he would make an exception when the Chief was glaring from behind the blinds in his office. "I hope you guys get some of the coffee." She teased, smiling widening.

Genma scowled at Kurenai, Asuma, and Hayate, who were all sitting the break room, enjoying his coffee. "Me too." He grumped. "Once you get the okay, you should come along to our karate nights." He offered. "We run them weekly, and even if you don't want to fight, you can always watch Kakashi get bodied by Yugao."

"For the record." Kakashi said, pointing at Genma. "He got beat by a little girl last week."

"She was a black belt." Genma protested. "And I wasn't ready."

Sakura burst out laughing. "Do you all go?" She asked.

"Mostly." Genma answered, with a shrug. "Morino goes too, though he just stands there and glares at everything. I don't actually know if he knows any techniques or not." He said, looking at Kakashi curiously.

"Don't let him hear you say that." Kakashi muttered. "But if you want to learn about self defense, it might teach you a thing or two."

Sakura smiled at the not so subtle offer. "Well. I don't really think I'll be going near any wells any time soon." She joked. "Anyway, I really do need to go. My dad is probably waiting for me to get home so he can ambush me with some new recipe he's created."

Kakashi patted her head, and Genma gave her another hug before she backed away. Sasuke was already waiting by the elevator, hands still in his pockets.

Kakashi met his gaze and the young man nodded once, eyes intense, so intense that Kakashi had to look away. The rage still hadn't left his stomach.

As they turned and got into the elevator, Sakura still badgering Sasuke about something, Kakashi saw a small red and white fan sewn into the collar of Sasuke's shirt. And he suddenly knew exactly where he had heard the accent before.

The man with Sakura's phone, the one from the interrogation room.

He and Sasuke had had the same accent, and now that Kakashi had connected the two, the similarities were striking. Dark hair, same rich boy, aristocrat features, pale skin, clipped accents.

"So they're friends, huh?" Genma asked quietly, as they. "I would believe that, you know, aside from the fact that he never came up in the background."

Kakashi hummed, moving over to the window to watch as Sakura and Sasuke exited onto the street below. "Do you know what accent that was?" He asked curiously, folding his arms as he watched the oddly mismatched couple make their way down the crowded street.

Genma rattled the tin of coffee beans. "I dunno. Sounded posh, I guess." He said and Kakashi saw him look over. "Why?

Kakashi swallowed, straightening ever so slightly as Sakura and Sasuke stopped at the crosswalk, Sakura jabbing at it furiously before Sasuke grabbed her arm.

A red and white fan. A red and white-

A fan.

Like the ones that were painted all over the Uchiha compound.

"I don't like him." Was all he said, a pit opening in his stomach. The thought that maybe, just maybe, Sayaka had been onto something, came back, swirling around his head.

It couldn't be.

But. This boy. The other one appearing out of nowhere-

"We're not her parents." Genma reminded him. And then, "Sasuke's a very old fashioned name, fell out of favour in the fifties. Bet there aren't many kids his age running with a name like that." He said meaningfully, already turning to walk away.

Kakashi never got a chance to answer because as if he'd heard them, Sasuke turned his head and looked back at the station. It was too far to see his eyes, but Kakashi could _feel_ them boring into his face, probing and intense. And just as it had when he had been speaking to Sasuke, a feeling of old anger and hurt welled up in his chest.

Genma noticed as well, pausing as he looked out the window.

Eventually the crosswalk changed, and Sakura dragged Sasuke across the road by his sleeve, but Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling of hot, angry eyes on his face.

Genma shifted. "What the Hell was that?" He murmured, mostly to himself.

Kakashi glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eye. Genma had been steadfast since their days in the academy, when Kakashi was an angry vet and Genma a wide eyed idiot from the wops. Hell, Kakashi would probably call him his best friend, if he used terms like that.

Before, when he'd seen that man appear as Akiyama in the interrogation room, Kakashi had convinced himself he was seeing things. He'd written off all the weird goings on because Konoha's mythos was just that, stupid stories told to kids to get them shut up and stay in bed.

But this.

The red and white fans, the odd accents, the sudden appearances.

This was something else.

Kakashi was a cop. He believed in logic and science that more intelligent men and women spent years researching. But… "I don't know." He said quietly. "Just, come on. I need to check something." He said, taking Genma's arm and pulling him away from the window.

* * *

I had the most terrifying dream last night

I dreamed that somehow, I hadn't actually graduated highschool. Like I took all of the tests and stuff to get my uni entrance score, but something happened, and they got lost and technically I was still a highschool student.

And I'm going into my last semester of uni, but I have to go BACK to highschool and finish off my final year AGAIN

And I'm freaking out, because I'm six months away from graduating and they're like, nah bro, you're gonna have to push it back six months

And then I woke up

It was awful you guys.


	19. Day 61: Colour

NEVER MIND ABOUT THE TITLE CHANGE

Is all good, we back to Ghost Stories because I managed to alienate and confuse everyone, including myself.

Enjoy.

* * *

Day 61: Colour

Kagami bit into the small cake he had bought from the bakery. The woman had been lovely, telling him all of the special flavours for the day, and she had even given him a free one to try.

The inside of the cake was still warm, and he hummed, pleasantly surprised by the sweet, rich flavour. It was brightly coloured too, a myriad of blue, yellow and pink, and the top was decorated with a thick sugary layer in the shape of a small cat.

He quite liked this new, modern world. The humans had been busy while he and his brothers were trapped, and while he had 'seen' some of it due to his nature, it wasn't the same as seeing it and feeling it.

The world was bright and colourful now, and everything was loud and cheerful. The humans had built spiralling towers into the sky and their parks were neatly manicured, with trees and sweet smelling flowers.

It reminded him of another city, in another place and time.

That city hadn't been as neat and tidy as this new, bright Konoha. But it had the same cheer, the same colour.

Kagami ate the rest of his treat, enjoying the sweetness of it and the sound of the marketplace bustling around him. A thousand years ago, this had been lush fern and the occasional scattered house or road.

Now it bustled with life.

Two girls, arm in arm, chattering excitedly as they passed him.

A family, playing by the trees not too far from him.

A couple laughing as they shared a cone of ice cream.

The fountain burbled, humming a song only he could hear.

He hummed back, and the world shivered around him, recognising him from long ago. Around him, he can see the weaving he had done, the strands of gold and red, of blue and purple and green. It sang and hummed, brightly coloured and also so dark it was simply nothing.

A bird, a funny looking thing with a small head and a fat, unwieldly body, pecked at the ground around his feet. It cooed at him, drawing him out of his thoughts.

 _Pigeon_ , the collective knowledge of this place tells him, eager to share. _Usually they're grey, but sometimes they're whi- put more spikes down, there's too- go chase them- I'll take a picture!- they're so stupid- it's so ugly it's almost cute-_

He brushed it away and fed the bird some of his cupcake.

It pecked at his hand, animal and driven by instinct.

It _was_ rather ugly. So grey and boring. Even the plumage of its chest, a dirty white, was rather unimpressive.

But like the market had told him, it was sort of adorable, in a pathetic sort of way.

Kagami stroked a hand over its head. For once, Shisui wasn't around to scold him for changing things to be more colourful, more beautiful, and when he pulled his hand back, the pigeons feathers shine iridescent, shades of deep velvet blue, indigo, and green, and its chest is now so white it is almost blinding.

It cooed at him again, and he rubbed its small, delicate head for a moment longer. After a while, it grew bored and hopped away, in search of more crumbs.

He enjoyed the marketplace for a little while longer, listening to the song of the fountain. It sang a sorrowful song, probing, asking to know where has its keeper gone, ancient one? Will he come home?

Kagami had no answer.

Shisui was well hidden, and he has refused all of Kagami's attempts to speak.

Did we upset him? We are sorry. The fountain asks him, mournful and almost childlike in its questions.

Kagami soothed it as he had been doing ever since Shisui's disappearance, but it is a stopgap measure, nothing more. Eventually the waters will grow more and more listless as Shisui withholds his power, hides away.

He did not know where Shisui was, but he knew one person who would.

He looked up. The sky is washed out, leaving the dusk weak and bland. The humans cities, as bright and stunning, and full as they are, left the sky behind in terms of brilliance. The stars that Mikoto had wept into being were lost, burning for no one to see.

Kagami brought them to bear, drawing their light out, so they glittered like gems in the sky. So many that the sky looked like a sea of them, bright and almost drowning out the satellite the humans had named the 'Moon'.

He drew on the flares of colour he had woven into the expanse. White, and gold, swirling clouds of colour that looked like plumes of smoke and flame. Not auroras, but older, more ancient than that. He had never quite mastered the gems Mikoto had placed, but his clouds were just as beautiful.

"Oh god- look at the sky-"

Kagami tucked his box of treats into his pockets and left the market as the humans cooed and cried out about the beautiful sky overhead.

He walked the short distance to Danzo's old apartment, enjoying the night air. Even if it was tainted ever so slightly with the greasy stink of burnt oil, the brush of it over his face was something he had not been able to experience in a millennia.

The mirror had sapped his power, left him in that dark, empty room. There was no beauty, no intrigue, no curiosity. It never changed.

Until Sakura.

Until colour.

Pink and green. The orange of her shirt, the blue of her running shoes. They didn't match in the slightest, but now that he knew Sakura a little better, he thought, maybe they did.

The doorman smiled broadly at Kagami. "Ah, you went to the bakery I recommended! How did you find it?" He asked.

This man had forgotten that the apartment belonged to another, and so had the clever machines the humans used. Obito had enjoyed wiping Danzo's presence from Konoha's records, erasing it finally. "They're great. So colourful too!"

"My niece loves 'em." The doorman said, pressing his special button to call the elevator. "And, I will admit, they're a lovely pick me up after a long day."

"I bought some for my brother."

The doorman beamed. "Well if he doesn't want them, you know where to find me!" He called as the elevator arrived.

This human reminded Kagami of Sakura's father. Warm and bright, and full of colour.

The apartment was still ruined from Sasuke and Shisui's assault on Danzo, the floor scorched black, and the paint on the walls bubbling and buckling.

Curiously, the remnants and scattered embers of Danzo's essence were already gone. Some would have fled with the wind, hiding away until it was safe to re-gather and re-form. But even then, Kagami expected more of the remnants to have lingered, lost without their corporeal vessel.

But there was nothing at all left of Danzo.

And that _was_ curious.

Itachi was in the other Ancient's study. This room was neater than the others, less ruined by the blast of Danzo's essence ripping apart. The bookshelves were things of beauty, deep wood that shone dully in the light of the afternoon. Elegantly carved, they were full of ancient tomes, ones older than the Earth itself, and others more recent.

Itachi was sitting at Danzo's desk, reading one of the ancient tomes, one that appeared empty to the mortal eye, but was really filled with Danzo's neat, matter of fact script.

His younger brother looked up at he entered, and a small smile graced his lips.

A rare sight. "I bought you a gift." Kagami said, uncurling his hand, the cupcake shimmering into view on his palm.

Itachi took it from him carefully, as he always was.

So gentle and hesitant.

"Thank you." Itachi said quietly. "Ah- it is a cat." He examined the top of the cupcake for a moment before he took a small bite.

"Isn't it sweet?" Kagami asked, setting the bag of other sweet treats down on the desk. He liked the sugary sweetness and he knew Itachi would too. "And-look at the inside."

Itachi's smile was a little more easy this time as he raised an eyebrow at the carefully marbled colours of the cupcake. "I should have guessed." He said, looking up at Kagami. "You could not get something a little more… traditional?"

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" Kagami grouched playfully, knocking his elbow into Itachi's head. "So ungrateful. I ought to remind you who is the eldest here, hm?"

The smile turned genuine as Itachi shook his head.

His little brother's hair was out for once, falling down his back in a wave of black and blue and purple. It made him look more like Madara than Mikoto, leaving his cheekbones and jaw harsh and throwing his eyes into shadow.

Itachi brushed it out of his face, setting the cupcake aside.

To save for later, no doubt.

Itachi was always strange like that, collecting and saving parts of things people gave him.

Kagami pulled Itachi's hair back, braiding it easily. "Have you found anything more about where the seal might be?" He asked, weaving strands of warmth and calm and ease in alongside Itachi's dark strands. They glittered, invisible to mortal eyes, but to Kagami, they shone like silver and gold and platinum. "Where it might have moved to?"

Itachi sighed, weight falling back onto his shoulders.

The strands hummed a song.

His little brother said nothing about the strands as Kagami let the braid fall against his back. "Homura and Hiruzen did a good job at hiding it." He said, turning a page in the book. "And Danzo's writings are deliberately vague. All I can surmise is that it is hidden under a well of discord."

Kagami snorted.

Itachi eyed him grumpily. "Do not huff, Danzo prattles more than he writes sense. It is a bore to get through."

"We already knew that the seal would be hidden near discord and strife. Koharu and her siblings are discord personified." Kagami said. "But there was no indication as to where this well might be?"

Itachi sighed. "I will keep searching."

Kagami sprawled on the couch by the window, watching the sky bloom green and gold above him, the stars shining through, steadfast and unwavering.

Itachi followed his gaze. "You cannot do that now." He murmured. "The humans instruments measure all of that, they will notice and take notes and make conclusions."

"It will be fine. A one off." Kagami said, weaving a pattern in the sky.

His younger brother made a noise that told Kagami he didn't believe him at all.

Silence fell between them, comfortable and easy. It was always easy to be around Itachi. Even if he was closed off and intensely private, even to his own brothers, he was also comfortable in his own self, had an air of acceptance and quiet solemnity that made everything just seem…

Quiet.

Kagami leaned back on the couch, watching the sky dance with colours.

Itachi continued to work, flipping a page every now and then.

Dusk continued to fall, the sky darkening and darkening and darkening. Until the spinning galaxy above them, faint as it was, seemed even brighter, and the stars were white and gold and sparkled like the suns they truly were.

It was watching the sky, like this, Itachi close by, that made Kagami yearn for a time before all this. Back in Mikoto's garden, where there was nothing but his brothers, and the other Ancients. Where Itachi was sitting not alone, but with Izumi, and Itame, and Kawarama.

Where Shisui played and teased Sasuke in the water, and Rin and Obito sat with each other, fishing in the streams for the images Tobirama and Izuna conjured up.

Where Madara wasn't angry and closed off, bubbling with fury at every moment.

"Itachi." Kagami said, loathe to break the warm silence.

Itachi said nothing, but Kagami knew he was listening.

"Where is Shisui?"

A page turned, slow and deliberate. "He does not want to talk." Itachi said instead. "He will come back when he is ready, you know that." He continued, close to a reprimand, but not quite.

Kagami unwrapped his scarf, fingers plucking at the threads, looking, searching. But Shisui always was wily, good at hiding. Taught by Izuna and every moment, Kagami cursed his older, vanished brother, for teaching Sasuke and Shisui to disappear at a whim and a moments notice. "It is dangerous right now, Itachi."

His little brother was quiet. "Why is it dangerous right now?" He asked quietly, non-confrontational, almost conversational.

"That is none of your concern." Madara interrupted.

Kagami wished his older brother knew how to read a conversation. He really did.

"Then Shisui's location is none of your concern." Itachi answered easily.

Kagami slipped off the couch, already feeling the stirrings of Madara's so easily ignited rage. Ever since Izuna's death, since Mito had vanished into slumber, Madara's temper had been so close to the surface. "Itachi, we need to find him."

Itachi closed the book with a sharp, short snap. "Why is it dangerous right now?" He asked again, looking up at them with a challenge in his eyes. ""What happened to make you frightened of a half immortal seer, one who is dead and nothing more than a shell of her former self? What do you know that you are not sharing?"

Kagami stepped between his brothers. "Madara-" He tried.

"Remember your place, Itachi." Madara snapped over him.

"I will remember my place when you remember who I am, Madara." Itachi answered sharply, rising from his place at the desk. "You are hiding something from us- from Shisui, whose eyes are supposed to see the truth. How? The same magicks that keep Karin trapped?"

Madara rose in fury. "How dare you." He snarled and Kagami put a hand on his chest. The sound echoed through the study like thunder. "I would never-"

White hot rage tainted the calmness of the weaving he had done, turning it blinding.

"How dare I? _How dare you_." Itachi snapped back, and even more rare than his smile, was his anger. But it showed itself now. Beautiful in shades of red and black. "You have no right to forbid anyone anything. Karin's imprisonment should warrant Sasuke's exclusion from the area, not Shisui's. But he is allowed to come and go as he pleases."

Kagami could feel the air between the three of them start to thicken, the stink of sulphur rising in the air and the pressure beginning to increase. One of the glass windows made a squeaking noise.

Black. Red.

"Which means that Karin is not what you are worried about." Itachi guessed. "What happened between Shisui and Mother?"

Kagami clenched his teeth together. "Enough." He pleaded as the glass panel cracked with a sharp, high snap. "Enough, both of you. Itachi, keep your secret. I will find Shisui on my own." He kept a hand on Madara's chest, more a warning than anything.

The world turned grey, black, brown, yellow.

Silence for a long few moments, but finally, Madara backed down, an ugly snarl on his face.

"He does not know." Itachi said quietly, face almost horrified. "That is what you are hiding. Whatever happened between her and him, you took it from him- he does not know- and now that he is alone-"

Silence.

Itachi stared at them. "You took his memories." He realised. "Gave him something of your own design."

Kagami looked away. After all, that was what he did. Weaving and spinning new realities, new ways of being.

"Kagmai, what have you done-"

He sent them away, unable to bear the sadness in Madara's eyes, or the horror in Itachi's. Undoubtedly, they would both find him again, but for now, the study was empty and calm, the tension having vanished along with his brothers.

It was quiet again, and colour returned to shades of lilac and indigo.

Calm.

 _Quiet_ -

 _-a breeze, blowing across his face, sweet smelling and pleasantly warm._

 _Izumi and Shisui are mucking about in the stream Tobirama had made at their behest, up to their knees in the clear, clean water. Izumi has her dress tied in a knot at her waist, legs covered by the same thick material Mito wore during her training._

 _Shisui has misplaced his shirt somewhere, and his shorts are covered in mud._

 _Kawarama is by their side, older, taller, but he is no better than the young ones. He is soaked to the bone, and digging around enthusiastically with Shisui, apparently uncaring about the white shirt he is ruining._

 _At least Izumi is trying to keep herself clean. She picks her way delicately through the water, cradling a clear, wobbly thing in her hand. "Itame!" She cries, voice almost blending with the burbling of the stream. "Itame!"_

 _Itame groans, rolling over blearily. His elbow digs into the soil as he pushes himself up, head rising off of Kagami's lap._

 _Izumi waves it triumphantly and Shisui sits up with a yell, arms covered to the elbow in mud._

 _Kawarama babbles excitedly._

 _Itame stares._

 _Izumi waits expectantly and then waves Itame and Kagami away dismissively when neither of them appear as excited about the wobbly thing. She heads back to her brother, and their close friend, showing them eagerly._

 _Shisui's voice rises in excitement._

 _Kawarama laughs, musical and almost unbearably sweet. "It looks like you, Izumi!"_

 _Izumi smashes the wobbly thing into his face and Shisui laughs-_

"Kagami! _"_

Kagami looked up, breath catching in his throat.

Sakura recoiled a little, but her grip on his arms doesn't loosen. She blinked a few times. "Kagami?" She asked, head tilting to the side, eyebrows lowering very slightly.

He has to take a moment to collect himself and realises that his wanderings have brought him to the park where he was meant to meet Sakura. And that more time than he thought had passed. Above him, the sky is velvet blue, rather than dusky orange. Mikoto's stars have faded back to obscurity and his clouds are vanished. "… I'm sorry." He said, struggling at keeping his voice even. "I wasn't aware…"

Sakura lets him go slowly, almost reluctantly. "Are you okay?" She asked warily. "I was calling you for like five minutes."

He stepped away from her. "I'm fine."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" She asked skeptically, expression morphing from wary worry to something more akin to disbelief. "Cause your eyes were glowing and I thought you had gone all vengeful god on me."

Kagami smiled automatically at her ridiculous assumption. Sakura was perhaps the only person alive that would be spared any sort of vengeful wrath. Simply because they couldn't hurt her.

Sakura's eyebrow rose higher.

"Vengeful god?"

"Well, glowing eyes! I found you in a broken mirror in a mountain. And then your eyes start glowing! What do you expect me to think?" She demanded. She blinked, and her expression softened suddenly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He really liked the abrupt shifts of mortal minds. He probed her mind curiously, but all he got was vague ideas of being tired and sore shoulders. Ever since they had been placed under her control, it was hard to read her mind, the thoughts jumbled and hazy.

An unintended side effect of the seal?

"I'm fine, Sakura." He reassured her. Truth be told, he was still rattled by Itachi's perceptiveness, by the dreamscape that he had allowed himself to build without noticing, by the very fact that it had crept up on him so suddenly.

Losing time was also a worry.

"Truly."

Sakura looked unconvinced. Her shoulders drew up and she rubbed the right one absently. Her entire countenance screamed conflicted. Finally, she sighed and shook her head. "… I really don't believe you." She said. "But. Okay."

She turned away, shoes scuffing the ground as she sat down on the worn wooden table behind her.

 _Picnic! Hurry up- Aw, we didn't get the one with the- in the shade-_

Kagami pushed the remnants away impatiently. He hadn't lost control of himself like that in a long time. Not since…

"It's not time for us to meet yet." He said gently, almost not sure what to say to Sakura. He didn't understand her mood. She seemed upset by something, not him, but her conflict appeared almost internal from the way her brows were creased, and she was frowning at nothing.

Sakura looked up.

She truly was a colourful mortal. Pink hair, green eyes, the colours of her namesake, Konoha's national flower. It suited her, a delicate colour for a delicate lifeform. Short lived and ephemeral.

"Oh.. I uh… I couldn't focus on anything else. So I came down here." She saw with a shrug, fiddling with a neat, plastic box on the table. Her eyes flicked to it, and then to him. "… Do you like- can you eat?" She asked, somewhat awkwardly.

Kagami smiled. "I can- _We_ can." He said, sitting opposite her. "We don't need to eat to survive, but… I enjoy it. There is nothing like experiencing it in the moment."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, a half smile on her lips. She didn't share her thoughts and all he got from her mind was the vague notion of clouds. "My dad always makes way too much food." She said instead of whatever it had been she was thinking. She opened the box with a snap that was at once muted and sharp. "I can't eat all these by myself- well I could, but I shouldn't." She almost rambled.

Kagami could smell the richness of cocoa beans- _chocolate, chocolate, chocolate_ – and a tartness of raspberries. The smell had been almost completely hidden by the plastic box, and again, he found himself surprised by how durable it was. "Why shouldn't you?" He asked.

Sakura paused and then looked at him as if he should know.

He waited.

She sighed, rolling her eyes in a way reminiscent of Mito. " _Sugar_. It's bad for your teeth, and too much of it can make you dependent on it, and not in a good way." She explained. "And if I'm gonna be a doctor, I can't be running around eating piles of sugary snacks, y'know what I mean?"

Gonna. Kinda. Goe-eng.

She and other mortals around her age and younger, they spoke so rapidly now, mouths moving almost as fast as their thoughts. He had noticed that mortals were far more informal now, something he appreciated since he always preferred it to Madara's stuffy pomp.

But even, it seemed, the older humans had trouble keeping up with their young children.

 _Slow down, I can't understand a word of what you're sayin- Woah, woah bud, what was that- Say that again in English- Wait, wait, what does that mean again?_

Then, that wasn't new either.

Time moved so quickly for them, things changed quickly, and as adaptable as they had been fashioned to be, sometimes…

Sometimes they were a little reminiscent of Madara's pomp and stuffiness.

Sakura licked her thumb as she put a giant slab of a thin cake onto the plastic lid. "Besides, he made like four trays and this way at least I can share them instead of freezing them." She said, words almost blurring together. "Here, it has white chocolate in it." She said, pushing the plastic towards him.

"White chocolate?" He asked, though he had already seen it in the shops he had been visiting. Overly sweet, almost too soft. He liked it.

Sakura made a face. "I'm pretty sure its not actually chocolate, but… I don't really know." She admitted, rubbing her shoulder again. "It's good though, with the raspberries. They're my favourite."

The brownie is rich, full of flavour. Kagami can feel the love her father had put into the dessert, the care and concern for his daughter.

Sakura doesn't seem interested in talking anymore, falling silent. Her hands are under the table and she stares at the wood, the same conflicted expression on her face. Her face is more open than perhaps she realises, but Kagami doesn't tell her that.

Even with how open it is, he doesn't know what she is thinking. And the mortal mind was different from Ancients, and each sentient species had its own quirks and tics. Humanity was unpredictable, adaptable, nigh unkillable, but prone to madness and hubris that rivalled even Madara's pride. Even amongst the countless sentients that had come before them, human minds were the most fragile, so easily they descended into whispered voices and ghosts of the past.

"What were you and Madara arguing about?" Sakura asked suddenly, picking apart her brownie with thin, dextrous hands. Her nails were cut short, neat and tidy, shining as if polished.

He knew immediately what she was talking about. Their last meeting.

" _We need her to like us. Koharu already has her talons in her."_

" _A cold will not kill her. I would be disappointed if it did."_

" _That isn't the point, and you know it. Our misstep in the courtroom cost us valuable time and very nearly, the whole plan. We need Sakura to trust us."_

" _She called us, did she not? She already knows of Koharu's treachery."_

" _And she knows of ours."_

"… _She will not betray us."_

" _You threaten, but it is an empty one. We are beholden to her and we cannot harm her." Kagami sighed. "She distrusts us already, has already placed sanctions on our movements. If we play nice, we might be able to sway her to our side."_

" _She is on our side."_

" _You're a fool if you believe that."_

 _Madara's eyes narrowed. "She knows I do not like her."_

" _You told her?"_

" _She provoked me. If I were to act friendly now, it would only heighten suspicion. She is well aware that our relationship is transactional. She suggested it herself and I agreed. I will not pretend to be her friend."_

" _Fine. But next time offer her your jacket or at least shield her from the elements. Humans are delicate things."_

" _So I have been told."_

He hummed, remembering Madara's sullen expression when Obito had joined their silent conversation with a reprimand.

Obito was seeing resemblances that weren't there, but it worked to cow Madara's temper. He never could say no to Obito for anything.

"I was scolding him for not shielding you from the rain." Kagami said cheerily. "He doesn't like to be told he's wrong and he gets a little bit…"

Sakura smiled around a bite of brownie cake that was far too big.

"Mm. Well he doesn't like to be scolded." Kagami said. He liked to share about his brothers. The other Ancients saw them as monsters for the plan they had proposed, for the lengths they went to, to achieve it. But his brothers were not monsters. "He gets… sulky."

Sakura laughed around her brownie, went red, and covered her mouth just as quickly. "Well. That's not something you hear every day." She said, eyes crinkling at the corners in the telltale movement of a wide smile.

"Don't tell him I said that." He murmured. Madara wouldn't like it.

Sakura nodded conspiratorially. "Course not." She said, lowering her hand, but her smile hadn't faded in the slightest.

The flush of her cheeks almost matched the mix of red and blonde of her hair.

"Are the others coming soon?" She asked, guileless.

Madara had not reappeared on the planet, and nor had Itachi. Kagami wasn't even quite sure where he had sent them, and he had no desire to check the weaving of reality for their presences. "Sasuke and Obito should come soon." He said gently. "Itachi is otherwise occupied and Madara has gone to talk to Shisui."

Sakura blinked. "Oh. Well… I suppose that's for the best. Madara doesn't like me much."

That made him huff. Madara didn't like anyone much.

Sakura rolled her eyes when he said just that. "No offense, but he's not the easiest guy to get along with. Koharu even told me not to bother when we were discussing the best way to entrap the lot of you."

"Hah!" Kagami shook his head. "Madara doesn't tolerate fools well-"

"That he does not." Obito said, voice tinged with acid and knowing. No doubt, both he and Sasuke had felt the expulsion of energy when Kagami had sent Itachi and Madara spiralling away.

Kagami stiffened as his younger brother walked out of the ripples of chaos that made up the universe.

Sakura jumped, skittering away from Obito as he made his presence known by her side. She flinched and then shrank into an irritated ball, her heart beating loudly in Kagami's ears. "Stop. Doing. That!" She said harshly, rubbing her arm furiously. "First Sasuke and now you! I'm going to have a heart attack if you keep sneaking up on me like that!"

Obito blinked, attention redirected for a moment. "I… I did not mean to-"

Sakura waved him away in irritation, stuffing another piece of brownie cake into her mouth with a scowl.

Kagami smiled at the exchange. She may have parts of Rin's personality, but she was a feisty, easily angered little thing, much unlike Rin's calm, almost timid demeanour. She didn't like to not know things, it seemed, or have things happen outside her control.

Sakura shifted over, scowling. "Just don't pop up behind me like that." She said, glancing up at Obito. "I don't like it when things appear behind me like that."

Obito just nodded. "Sasuke will arrive shortly. He was… dealing with some family business."

"…n the mafia." Sakura muttered under her breath, shaking her head darkly.

Kagami avoided Obito's gaze. "What?" He asked curiously.

"She thinks we were criminals." Sasuke said drolly.

Sakura jumped for a second time, eyes snapping wide open and Kagami saw that sharp jolt that ran through her body as she whipped around. The skin on the back of her neck was white and dimpled. "Sasuke!" She said, breathy and startled. "I told you-"

She was scared?

Her heart was pounding erratically in her chest and the thought most forefront in her mind was just a dark, sharp cloud of fear.

But what… could she be afraid of? Sasuke was no danger to her.

"You need to be more observant. Koharu will not-"

"Sasuke." Obito snapped. "Enough. She is not unaware of the dangers. And that is not what we came here to discuss."

Kagami glanced at Obito curiously.

Obito returned his stare, a promise to talk later. But he said nothing now, instead he sat down next to Sakura, levelling a curiously hostile look at Sasuke.

Sasuke's normally cool, tightly controlled red darkened with humiliation, eyes narrowing at the unwarranted harshness from his older brother.

Sakura rolled her shoulders. "Right. Koharu didn't say much about Karin but-"

Kagami tuned out the conversation. He knew how dangerous Koharu was. All of the quadruplets were, in different ways. Danzo was outwardly cold, but inside, he simmered with covetous jealousy, and his wrath was well hidden until he struck.

Shisui's injuries and Sasuke's loss of Karin were testament to his jealously. The slights had been imagined, nothing more than Danzo's own insecurities whispering lies into his ears.

Homura was a deceitful little weasel, skittering from place to place, whispering lie after lie, and vanishing with his cloak of wind and twisting, refracted light. And Hiruzen was a cowardly little swine, changing sides as it caught his fancy, twisting allegiances and bowing to every command thrown his way.

And Koharu…

" _It is… hard for us." Koharu says, twisting her hands. She shifts nervously, eyes darting towards where Madara and Izuna were sparring. "We are not… the same as you. We do not belong. And your older brother's never fail to remind us of that."_

 _Kagami follows her gaze to Madara. He knows Madara was wary of the quadruplets that had appeared one day, begging for help._

 _Tobirama is likewise cold to them, though he hides it better than Madara does._

" _They were the same way with Izuna." Kagami murmures. "Obito too. Give them some time. Mother-"_

 _Koharu flinches at the mention of their mother, as if she had been struck and Kagami regrets his words immediately. He had not lived long with his mother, escaping as soon as his weaving had allowed him to._

" _I am sorry, I did not mean to…"_

 _She gives him a sad, tight smile before turning on her heel and hurrying away, back through the gardens. No doubt returning to the small abode Hashirama had built for her and her brothers._

 _None of the quadruplets ever shared what their mother had done to them, but from the dark look in Mikoto's eyes and the stern set to Hashirama's mouth told him that they probably understood the hesitance and nervousness of the new deities._

Koharu was...

He had loved her once.

* * *

Obito found him easily, though Kagami hadn't been hiding.

"You are waning." Obito said quietly, cupping Kagami's cheek. He searched Kagami's face, mouth downturned. "Withdrawing. What is it?"

Kagami pulled his scarf more tightly around his neck. "I am worried about… _everything_." He said, finally resorting to speaking in the tongue their Mother had taught them. Mortal language couldn't fully express what he was feeling. " _Itachi knows something happened between Mother and Shisui_."

Obito's expression turned to confusion. " _How? We swore never to tell them what happened_."

Kagami sighed heavily. " _He's too clever for his own good._ " He said.

Obito is silent. " _That is why he and Madara were not present tonight_." He deduced. " _You argued and he left in search of Shisui?_ "

He loathed to tell his younger brother he had lost control. Obito would worry, fret, and his protectiveness could spill over into well intentioned violence. " _I sent them away_." He said. " _Itachi challenged Madara, things got… tense between them. I was worried they would destroy the city_."

Obito didn't look surprised to hear it. " _Itachi does not take kindly to secrets_."

"But it's not his." Kagami insisted sharply, too quickly.

Obito's hand fell away. "It may not be his, but Itachi will not let it rest. He already worries about us all and-"

"He never knows when to stop." Kagami murmured. Itachi was fiercely protective, to his own detriment at times. He never stopped, never faltered in his vigilance.

Obito's expression darkened even further. "Nor do you." He accused. "You have been lost inside yourself all night. Sakura said you had arrived, eyes glowing and completely oblivious to the outside world."

Kagami swallowed.

Obito's eyes narrowed. "This task extracts a heavy price from us all, but you especially. You need calm, quiet, Kagami, you cannot hold the tide of Mother's rage alone-"

"Leave it." Kagami said sharply. His weaving shifted, threads parting with his distress. His Mother slumbered still, but not for long. And as the seal around her weakened, her presence grew stronger, warping things that should not be warped.

His younger brother puffed up. "Find Itachi." He said stiffly, obviously hurt by Kagami's rejection of comfort. "I will find Madara. I have been itching for a fight and no doubt, he is furious."

"Wai-" He was gone before Kagami can say another word. The suddenness of it left Kagami alone, not just in presence. His brothers were disparate and there was a pit in his stomach, a warning or a promise, he wasn't sure.

* * *

So sorry about the confusion! I didn't even think about it, and I'm really sorry I confused some of you!

I've been having a hell of a week, my identity got stolen and the dumbass opened a whole bunch of fraudulent accounts in my name, and my boss isn't paying my super (gov mandated retirement) and no one has called me back about any of my interviews. AT ALL. And I kinda just wanna set things on fire. You know?


End file.
